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44-688: The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor follows the Blackstone Valley from Worcester to Providence, Rhode Island . The corridor follows the course of the Industrial Revolution in America from its origin at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island as it first spread north along the valley to Worcester, Massachusetts , and then to the rest of the nation. The region

88-478: A mayor of Providence in the early 1950s. He successfully ran for a seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1956 and later became the minority leader. He was re-elected in 1958 and 1960, the latter a year when many Republicans were swept from office in his state. Chafee was elected governor in 1962 , defeating Democratic incumbent John A. Notte Jr. The election was notable for being one of

132-791: A Marine officer commanding a rifle company in the mountains of North Korea." and that "He was the only truly great man I've yet met in my life..." Chafee's military awards include three awards of the Presidential Unit Citation , the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal , the World War II Victory Medal , the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal . Chafee became active in behind-the-scenes Rhode Island politics by helping elect

176-508: A Rhode Island governor, Charles Warren Lippitt , and United States Senator Henry Frederick Lippitt . His uncle, Zechariah Chafee , was a Harvard law professor, and a notable civil libertarian . His cousin was Frederick Lippitt , former House Minority Leader for the Rhode Island House of Representatives . He had two daughters and four sons, one of whom is former Rhode Island Governor and former United States Senator Lincoln Chafee . One of his daughters, Tribbie, died following an accident at

220-595: A chief concern, often breaking with his party to the delight of conservation groups. He chaired that committee during his last term in office, from 1995 to 1999. As a result of his work, Chafee was a recipient of the Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award. Among the bills Chafee fostered while in the minority was the Clean Water Act of 1986, and the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act . He also

264-538: A concurrency with Route 9 and Route 12 . Route 122 then continues westward into the town of Paxton . In Paxton, the route runs concurrently with Route 56 from near Kettle Brook Reservoir Number 4 to the center of town, where Route 56 joins Route 31 for a brief concurrency before those two routes split. Meanwhile, Route 122 heads northwestward past Moore State Park and into the town of Rutland . In Rutland, Route 122A finally ends at its parent route, near Long Pond and Rutland State Park. Route 122 turns westward through

308-532: A horse show in October 1968 at the age of 14. His eldest child, John H. Chafee, is a UCLA alumnus. John Chafee graduated from a coeducational primary school, Providence's Gordon School , in 1931 and then attended Providence Country Day School . In 1940, he graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts . Chafee was an Episcopalian . Chafee was in his third year as an undergraduate at Yale University when

352-505: A willingness to make bold decisions and stand by them. Emblematic of this was his decision to elevate Admiral Elmo Zumwalt as Chief of Naval Operations over 33 more senior officers, and his judicious handling of the USS Pueblo situation, in which North Korean forces, during the previous administration, had boarded and captured a navy intelligence ship. His action as Secretary of the Navy that

396-559: Is also served by Amtrak trains on the Northeast Corridor , providing service to New York City and beyond. At the 2010 United States Census , the population of the Blackstone Valley was 848,725. John H. Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( / ˈ tʃ eɪ f iː / CHAY -fee ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps . A member of

440-608: Is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . The Blackstone Valley offers multiple recreation areas for visitors to take advantage of the sights. These sites are: Multiple modes of transportation are available that serve the Blackstone Valley. Two major roads travel through the region. Route 122 in Massachusetts is known as the Blackstone Canal Heritage Highway. The road travels through many of

484-570: Is most clearly remembered is his disapproval of the recommendation to court martial Commander Lloyd Bucher , the commanding officer of the Pueblo , once the release of the crew had been secured. Because it was clear that the guilt clearly rested on the North Koreans and not Bucher or the sailors on the Pueblo , Chafee stated that "Bucher and his men have suffered enough", and that a court martial would only add insult to injury. He served as Secretary of

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528-611: Is the North Carolina Links program Massachusetts Route 122 Route 122 is a 67.15-mile-long (108.07 km) southeast-northwest state highway in Massachusetts that is a continuation of Rhode Island Route 122 . The highway is signed as south–north. Route 122 begins in Blackstone as a continuation of Rhode Island Route 122 . The route passes along the Blackstone River through Blackstone and Millville as

572-567: The Republican Party , he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island , as the Secretary of the Navy , and as a United States Senator . Chafee was born in Providence, Rhode Island , to a politically active family. He was the son of Janet Melissa (née Hunter) and John Sharpe Chafee. His great-grandfather, Henry Lippitt , was governor of Rhode Island (1875–1877), and among his great-uncles were

616-684: The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee 's Subcommittee on Health Care , but his biggest imprint was on environmental concerns. He also served in his party's leadership, chairing the Senate Republican Conference from 1985 to 1990. On February 12, 1999, Chafee voted against both articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton . On March 15, 1999, Chafee announced he would not seek re-election in 2000 . In October 1999, less than two weeks before his death, Chafee

660-556: The "manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, purchase, transfer, receipt, possession, or transportation of handguns and hand ammunition." Chafee voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Reagan 's veto). Chafee voted in favor of the nomination of William Rehnquist as Chief Justice of

704-492: The Blackstone River over time making it an important part of American industry. The industrialization also led to the river being identified by the end of the 20th century as the primary source of Narragansett Bay pollution. The initiative for the canal came from Providence, where a merchant community wished to profit from trade with the farming country of the Blackstone Valley and Worcester County. The people of Worcester and

748-470: The Blackstone Valley, eager for transport that would enable them to get better prices for their produce, welcomed the plan. However, since the trade of central Massachusetts was at that time going overland through the port of Boston, Massachusetts commercial interests succeeded in stalling the project for several years. Finally, in 1823, the Blackstone Canal Company was organized through an act of

792-715: The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor . He interrupted his undergraduate studies and enlisted in the Marine Corps , spending his 20th birthday fighting on the island of Guadalcanal from August 8 until November 1942, when the First Marine Division was relieved. After receiving his commission as a second lieutenant , he fought in the Battle of Okinawa in the spring of 1945. Following the war, he received degrees from Yale University in 1947 and Harvard Law School in 1950. At Yale, he

836-515: The Massachusetts legislature, with a Rhode Island company soon following. The canal's construction may have been motivated by competition among rival industrialists to curtail " water rights ". Construction began in 1825 and cost $ 750,000 (twice its initial estimate). The canal opened on October 7, 1828, when the packet boat Lady Carrington arrived in Worcester, the first vessel to make the trip. The canal brought immediate prosperity to Worcester and

880-553: The Navy until 1972, when he resigned to run for the U.S. Senate . After an unsuccessful candidacy for the Senate in 1972 against Democratic incumbent Claiborne Pell , Chafee was elected to that body in 1976 to succeed retiring Democrat John Pastore . He was the first Republican to win a Rhode Island Senate election since 1930 . He joined the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 1977 and made environmental matters

924-616: The United States and the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court , but voted against the nomination of Robert Bork . During the late 1980s and 1990s, Senator Chafee became an advocate for improving the U.S. health care system. He supported legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income children and pregnant women, sponsored legislation to expand the availability of home and community-based services for persons with disabilities, and worked to enact legislation to establish Federally Qualified Health Centers. In 1992, he

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968-467: The Valley; farmers' profits increased and mills were built, especially in Worcester. Using water to transport goods was a great improvement over the rough roads of the era. At the time of its construction, it represented the best available transportation technology. It was a two-day trip for the canal boats from Worcester to Providence and another two-day trip to return to Worcester. The overnight stopping point

1012-551: The Worcester suburb of Grafton . In the Farnumsville section of town, Route 122A begins, splitting from its parent route and heading west into Sutton . Route 122, meanwhile, continues north, crossing through the center of town before becoming concurrent with Route 140 near Lake Ripple. The two routes split after nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km), crossing under the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) without junction just before

1056-400: The defeat include the fact that, after running three times on a strong anti-income tax platform, Chafee now said that such a tax was imperative (indeed his anti-tax opponent went on to champion one in 1971); and that he stopped campaigning after his daughter was killed. He was appointed Secretary of the Navy in 1969 by President Richard Nixon . Chafee's tenure as secretary was marked by

1100-589: The first European settler of present-day Boston in 1625. He relocated again, to Rhode Island in 1635 and built his home on the river, in what would become Cumberland . With the Providence River , the Blackstone was the northeastern border of Dutch claims for New Netherland from Adriaen Block 's charting of Narragansett Bay in 1614 through the Hartford Treaty of 1650. The original Native American name for

1144-591: The former routing of Route 21 before the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir . In neighboring New Salem (in Franklin County ), Route 122 becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 202 . Approximately a mile later, the two routes split shortly after entering Orange . Route 122 turns northwest from there, crossing Route 2 at Exit 70 (formerly 15) before finally ending at Route 2A , just north of the Millers River in

1188-429: The main street through both towns. In Uxbridge the route crosses the river before meeting Route 146A at its northern terminus, in front of Uxbridge District Court. In the center of Uxbridge, the route intersects Route 16 . From there, the route continues northward into Northbridge . Route 122 roughly bisects that town, crossing the Blackstone River again in the northern end of town. From Northbridge, Route 122 enters

1232-482: The narrowest in Rhode Island history, Chafee received 50.06% of the vote to Notte's 49.94%, winning by a margin of just 0.12%. However, Chafee quickly became popular with both Rhode Island's Republicans and Democrats, allowing him to win re-election by margins of almost 2-to-1 in 1964 and 1966. The 1964 victory made Chafee one of the few bright spots in a disastrous year for Republicans nationally; Lyndon Johnson carried

1276-534: The next six years. On October 24, 1999, around seven months after Chafee announced his retirement from the Senate, he died from heart failure at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland , two days after his 77th birthday. President Clinton eulogized him, saying, "He embodied the decent center. For him, civility was not simply a matter of personal manners. He believed it was essential to

1320-410: The park into the town of Oakham , where Route 122 meets the northern end of Route 148 before turning northward into Barre . In Barre, Route 122 becomes concurrent with Route 32 , continuing through Barre Common (where Route 62 begins) and into Petersham . Near Petersham Center, Route 32 splits from Route 122, and Route 32A crosses the route shortly after. The route also crosses Turnpike Street,

1364-613: The preservation of our democratic system." Chafee was succeeded in the Senate by his son, Lincoln , who went on to win a full term in his own right in 2000. The USS Chafee (DDG-90) , the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge were named in his honor. Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island named its World Trade Center on campus after John H. Chafee for his continuing support for global trade and his association with

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1408-452: The region's mill villages . The other major road is Route 146 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island . Upgrades on the Massachusetts side have seen major economic benefits throughout the towns. Two MBTA Commuter Rail lines, the Worcester and Providence Lines have stations located within the Blackstone Valley. Both lines provide direct service to Boston's South Station . Providence station

1452-403: The river was the "Kittacuck", which meant "the great tidal river". The "Kittacuck", or Blackstone, was plentiful with salmon and lamprey in pre-colonial and colonial times. In 1790, Samuel Slater opened the first successful water powered cotton mill in America, Slater Mill , at Pawtucket Falls . This mill was powered by the waters of the Blackstone River. Many other mills appeared along

1496-643: The split. From there, Route 122 turns west, crossing the corner of Millbury (where Exit 96 of the Mass Pike (old exit 11) meets the route) before entering the city of Worcester . Once in Worcester, Route 122 meets U.S. Route 20 at an above-grade intersection. It then passes through the southeastern corner of town before heading towards downtown. Once there, Route 122 crosses under I-290 at Exit 18 (formerly 14). The route then splits along two one-way streets before meeting Route 122A once more at Kelley Square . The two routes head westward, splitting when Route 122A joins

1540-541: The state with an unheard-of 83 percent of the vote. As governor, Chafee helped create the state's public transportation administration as well as what was known as the Green Acres program, a conservation effort. In 1968, he served as chair of the Republican Governors Association . He served as governor until 1969, when he was surprisingly defeated by underdog Democrat Frank Licht . Reasons ascribed for

1584-458: The transition from foster care to independent living; recognized the need for special help for youths ages 18 to 21 who have left foster care; offered states greater flexibility in designing their independent living programs; and, established accountability for states in implementing independent living programs. As a testimonial to the late Senator Chafee, the program is now entitled the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program . Chafee sat on

1628-526: The university. The Chafee Social Science Center at the University of Rhode Island is named in his honor. It is the tallest building in southern Rhode Island. The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 , passed on November 23, 1999, after his death, is known as the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. The programs are administered at the state level by Social Service Agencies. One such program, in example,

1672-583: Was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon (Phi chapter) and Skull and Bones fraternities. In 1951, he was recalled to active service to be a Marine rifle company commander during the Korean War with Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines . Author James Brady in his memoir of the Korean War and serving as a Marine under Chafee writes: "Nowhere, at any time, did John Chafee serve more nobly than he did as

1716-667: Was an architect of the 1980 Superfund program to clean up hazardous waste sites as well as the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 . Chafee authored the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982, establishing the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS). Upon Chafee's death in 1999, the CBRS was renamed the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System. Like most Republicans from New England, Chafee's voting record

1760-577: Was appointed chairman of the Senate Republican Task Force on Health, and he worked to develop a consensus among Republicans on health care. In 1993, he joined with Democratic Louisiana Senator John Breaux to form the Senate Mainstream Coalition, a coalition of six Democratic and six Republican senators seeking bipartisan consensus on health reform. He sponsored legislation that increased funds to states to assist youths in making

1804-636: Was designated a National Heritage Corridor by Congress in November 1986, composing 25 towns and cities throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island . In 2011, a report recommended the region for National Park status. In 2014, the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park was established. The river is named after William Blackstone (original spelling William Blaxton ) who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1623, and became

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1848-453: Was in Uxbridge . Boston merchants moved to recapture the trade moving down the canal to Providence, opening a rail line to Worcester in 1835. (Boston merchants opened three railroads in 1835, one to Lowell, one to Worcester, and one to Providence, RI. These were very new technology.) In 1847 the parallel Providence and Worcester Railroad began operation, and the canal closed in 1848. The canal

1892-495: Was moderate to liberal. He was pro-choice on abortion and supported the North American Free Trade Agreement . He took a moderate stance on taxes and government assistance to the needy. He opposed the death penalty, school prayer, and the ban on homosexuals serving in the military. Chafee was one of the few Republicans to support strict gun control laws. He sponsored a bill that, if passed, would have prohibited

1936-611: Was one of four Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty . The treaty was designed to ban underground nuclear testing and was the first major international security pact to be defeated in the Senate since the Treaty of Versailles . His last major act was authoring and sponsoring the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century, which authorized funding for transportation programs for

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