Roger Wolcott (July 13, 1847 – December 21, 1900) was a Republican lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1893 to 1897, becoming Acting Governor in 1896 upon the death of Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge. He was elected governor in his own right in 1897, serving until 1900. He was a leading figure in the Young Republican Club, which revitalized the Massachusetts Republican Party in the 1890s. Early years Roger Wolcott was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 13, 1847. He was the son of Joshua Huntington Wolcott (1804-1891) and Cornelia (Frothingham) Wolcott, and was descended from Connecticut Founding Father Oliver Wolcott. His father was a successful businessman, having long been associated with the textile firm of A. & A. Lawrence. Roger Wolcott was first educated at a private school in Boston. After his older brother was killed in the American Civil War, the family traveled to Europe, visiting England, Switzerland, and France, during which Wolcott continued his studies. Upon the family's return to Boston Wolcott entered Harvard College as a sophomore, graduating in 1870. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1874, and was admitted to the Suffolk County bar the same year. He married Edith Prescott on September 2, 1874; she was the great-granddaughter of Colonel William Prescott. The couple spent a year-long honeymoon in Europe. Career Wolcott opened a law office in Boston in 1875. He became increasingly involved in the affairs of his father's business associates, eventually being appointed to serve on a number of corporate boards. Businesses he was associated with included the Boston and Albany Railroad and the New England Trust Company. He was also involved in philanthropic organizations, serving as a member of the Boston Provident Association, and as trustee of the Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and an overseer of Harvard College. Wolcott became involved in politics not long after opening his law practice, winning a seat on the Boston Common Council in 1877 which he held for three years. He served as a member of the Massachusetts Legislature (Massachusetts General Court) from 1881–1884, and was offered the Republican Party nomination for Mayor of Boston in 1885, but refused on account of his father's poor health. Wolcott cared for his father until his death in 1891. Wolcott began to assume a more prominent