Henry F. Lippitt

Henry Frederick Lippitt was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 12, 1856. He was the son of Henry Lippitt and Mary Ann (Balch) Lippitt. He attended Mowry & Goff's, a private school in Providence, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1878. During his time at Brown, he was the president of his graduating class and was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa.

Following his graduation, Lippitt joined the cotton textile manufacturing business operated by his family. He held directorships in various financial and industrial entities, including the Slater Trust Company of Pawtucket. Additionally, he served as vice president of the People's Savings Bank of Providence and a director of the Mechanics National Bank. His involvement extended to the insurance sector where he was involved in multiple mill insurance companies. Lippitt also served on the Governor's staff with the rank of colonel during 1888–1889.

In 1889, he was elected president of the New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association, an organization now known as the National Textile Association. His civic and industrial engagement was marked by leadership roles conducive to the textile industry and associated sectors.

Lippitt's political career included election to the United States Senate as a Republican. He served a single term from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1917. While in office, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture during the Sixty-second Congress. He was elected to the Senate by the Rhode Island state legislature, as was the practice prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, which mandated direct election of Senators. After an unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1916, he returned to his business pursuits.

After his Senate term, Lippitt resumed active involvement in the textile industry. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Manville-Jenckes tire fabric company located in Pawtucket. Outside of his professional work, Lippitt was associated with numerous social clubs, including the Squantum Association, Hope Club, Agawam Hunt Club, Rhode Island Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, and the University Club of New York. He was also a member of the New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association and joined the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1892.

Lippitt married Mary Louise Bowen in 1881. She was a member of another prominent Rhode Island textile family. Together, they had children named Louise, Henry, Frances, and John Bowen Lippitt. After her death, Lippitt married Lucy Herron Laughlin in 1915, who was the sister of former First Lady Helen Herron Taft and widow of Thomas K. Laughlin of Pittsburgh. They had two children: Frederick Lippitt, a politician and philanthropist, and Mary Ann Lippitt, an aviator.

Henry F. Lippitt was the son of Rhode Island Governor Henry Lippitt and the brother of Rhode Island Governor Charles W. Lippitt. He was also related to prominent political figures including U.S. Senators John H. Chafee and Lincoln D. Chafee, both of whom served as governors of Rhode Island.

Henry Frederick Lippitt died in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 28, 1933. He was interred in the family plot at Swan Point Cemetery.