Frederick Lippitt (December 29, 1916 – May 11, 2005) was an American military officer, attorney, politician, public servant and philanthropist.
He was the scion of a distinguished Rhode Island colonial family, the son of United States Senator Henry F. Lippitt (1856–1933) and Lucy Hayes Herron Lippitt (1877-1961). He was the grandson of Governor Henry Lippitt and the nephew of Governor Charles Warren Lippitt. First Lady Nellie Herron Taft was his aunt. He was also a cousin of United States Senator John Chafee and Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee.
Education
Lippitt received his preparatory education at St. Mark's School and graduated from Yale University in 1939. He then attended Yale Law School where he joined the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. His studies were interrupted by his service in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he completed his studies at Yale Law School and graduated in 1946.
Military service
Lippitt took a leave of absence from Yale Law School and enlisted in the United States Army on August 6, 1941, four months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He saw service on the island of New Caledonia with the Americal Division in 1942. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Field Artillery on October 20, 1942.
Later in the war, he served in Italy with the 91st Infantry Division. (Some sources state that he served in the Philippines but this is not mentioned in his official legislative biography in the Rhode Island Manual.) On July 24, 1944 he was wounded in action for which he received the Purple Heart.
Lippitt was promoted to the rank of 1st lieutenant by the end of the war and was promoted to captain on December 10, 1945. In addition to the Purple Heart, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious combat service.
Lippitt was discharged from active duty in 1946 and joined the Rhode Island National Guard on August 5, 1947. During the Korean War, he was mobilized with the 43d Infantry Division on September 5, 1950 and served with the division in Germany from 1951 until he was demobilized on August 23, 1952.
After being released from active duty, Lippitt reverted to inactive status in the National Guard and pursued a private law practice. He was promoted to major on February 2, 1953 and served for ten years (1953-1963) as the commander of the 103d Field Artillery Battalion (re-designated as 1st Battalion, 103d Artillery Regiment on 19 June 1961). He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 19, 1957 and retired from the National Guard in 1965, after a total of 24 years of military service.
Legal career
After the Second World War, Lippitt finished his law studies at Yale. After passing the Rhode Island Bar, he was employed as an attorney at the Providence law firm of Edwards and Angell (today known as Edwards Wildman), where he rose to become the firm's senior partner. He retired from the firm when he entered the 1984 special election for Mayor of Providence. The special election resulted from the removal from office of mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci.
In addition to his legal career, Lippitt also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Providence Institution for Savings (a.k.a. Old Stone Bank). He served as a trustee of Rhode Island Hospital from 1954 to 1996. He was also a trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Political career
Lippitt was a lifelong Republican but ran twice as an independent for Mayor of Providence. His political philosophy could be best described as conservative on economic issues but progressive on social issues. He consistently advocated fiscal discipline and the protection of the rights of minorities.
State representative
In November 1960, Lippitt was elected as a state representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly, representing a district which encompassed the College Hill neighborhood of Providence. He served eleven two year terms as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1961 to 1983, including ten years as House Minority Leader. As a legislator he was noted for his commitment to fiscal responsibility, civil rights and open government. He was also noted for his influence in the passage of the Rhode Island Fair Housing Act of 1968 and for his unsuccessful opposition to the imposition of a state income tax in 1970.
Later political career
Frustrated by the corruption of Providence politics under the administration of Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, Lippitt ran for mayor three times - once as a Republican (1982) and twice (1984 and 1990) as an Independent. He lost each election - the last two times by margins of less than 320 votes.