President Henry B. Anthony

April Fool's day, 1815

The eighteenth President of the United States Henry Bowen Anthony (pictured) was born in Coventry, Rhode Island.

A newspaperman and political figure associated with the Whig Party he served as the editor and later part owner of the Providence Journal.

Later he was the 21st Governor of Rhode Island before his election as a Republican Senator from Rhode Island in 1859.

In 1868, upon the sudden death of Benjamin Wade he was elected President Pro Tempore the next in line under the Presidential Succession Act of 1792. With the electoral arithmetic dramatically changed at the outset of impeachment proceedings this event led directly to his own six month occupation of the White House in which he served out the remainder of Andrew Johnson's term of office.