Lincoln Almond

The first governor of Rhode Island to serve a four-year term in accordance with revisions to the state constitution, LINCOLN ALMOND was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island. While serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve Submarine Service, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island and a law degree from Boston University Law School. In 1963 he was appointed Lincoln Town Administrator, a position that he held until 1969. He went on to serve as U.S. Attorney from 1969 to 1978 and again from 1981 to 1993. He was President of the Blackstone Valley Development Foundation, a private, nonprofit land development organization, prior to becoming governor. One of his first gubernatorial acts was to privatize the Rhode Island Department of Economic Development, establishing the quasi-public Economic Development Corporation charged with providing state employers with the tools to remain competitive and encourage job growth. Almond also created the Economic Policy Council in response to the need for a neutral organization to conduct research, provide analysis, recommend policy, and assist state leaders in setting an economic vision for Rhode Island. Other initiatives that he promoted as governor included preservation of open space, improvement of Narragansett Bay water quality, enhancement of the state's highway infrastructure, and investment in higher education facilities.