help pay for the construction when the state was low on funds, and was never reimbursed for the monies. Good roads Ladd, whose official State House portrait depicts him with a bicycle, was a supporter of the Good Roads Movement, a national road improvement initiative led by bicyclists. In 1892, Ladd wrote an essay for a League of American Wheelmen publication Good Roads outlining his belief that expanding and paving streets was as important to Rhode Island as having good railroads. Other achievements During the summer of 1889, Ladd hosted president Harrison and ex-president Cleveland in Newport. In fall of 1889, Ladd invited business leaders to Providence to discuss the location of the upcoming World's Fair. Ladd authorized new uniforms for the Rhode Island state militia. Post-Governorship After serving two nonconsecutive terms, Ladd never ran again for public office. He involved himself with several organizations. He founded and served as president for three years of the Commercial Club. He was also president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was a member of the YMCA, the Rhode Island Choral Association, the Board of Trade, the Providence Press Club, and the Hope Club. From 1891 to 1896, Ladd served as the President of Rhode Island School of Design. Death Ladd died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 30, 1913 after a long illness. He was interred at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island. Honors and legacy The Ladd Laboratory, an agricultural research facility established at the University of Rhode Island in 1891, was named for Governor Ladd. In 1889, at the 121st Commencement of Brown University, Ladd announced that he would donate an astronomical observatory to the school. The expected cost was , but the building reportedly cost over , . The Ladd Observatory, completed in 1891, is named in his honor. Ladd received an honorary Master of Arts Degree from Brown University in 1892. References External links The Political Graveyard 1843 births 1913 deaths Republican Party governors of Rhode Island Politicians from New Bedford, Massachusetts Burials at Swan Point Cemetery American Freemasons 19th-century American politicians