# Lincoln Chafee

_American politician and former United States Senator from Rhode Island_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/lincoln-chafee
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( CHAY-fee; born March 26, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 74th governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015 and as a United States senator from 1999 to 2007. Previously, he served as mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island, from 1993 to 1999. A member of the Libertarian Party since 2019, he previously was a Republican until 2007, an independent from 2007 to 2013, and a Democrat from 2013 to 2019. He is the last non-Democrat to hold statewide or Congressional office in Rhode Island.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 26 March 1953 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Providence ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P106))
- **Political party:** Libertarian Party (since 2019); Democratic Party (2013–2019); independent politician (2007–2013); Republican Party (until 2007) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P102))
- **Education:** Brown University; Montana State University; Phillips Academy; Providence Country Day School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P69))
- **Spouse:** Stephanie Chafee ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P26))
- **Official website:** chafee2016.com ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P856))
- **Positions held:** Governor of Rhode Island (4 January 2011 – 6 January 2015); United States senator (3 January 2005 – 3 January 2007); United States senator (3 January 2003 – 3 January 2005); United States senator (3 January 2001 – 3 January 2003); United States senator (2 November 1999 – 3 January 2001); mayor (1992–1999); council member (1986–1992) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P39))
- **X (Twitter):** lincolnchafee ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P2002))
- **Facebook:** chafee2016 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P2013))
- **Instagram:** lincchafee ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P2003))
- **YouTube:** UCWjvuny-6Q3UcYt8Kh-924Q ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690#P2397))

## About

The son of Republican politician John Chafee, who was the 66th governor of Rhode Island, the United States secretary of the navy, and a U.S. senator, the younger Chafee first held elected office as a member of the Warwick City Council in 1985. After his father's death in 1999, Chafee was appointed to his seat in the U.S. Senate, to which he won a full term in 2000.

Chafee was the only Republican in the Senate to vote against authorization of the use of force in Iraq in the lead-up to the Iraq War. He was defeated in his 2006 reelection bid by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. Chafee subsequently shifted his affiliation towards the Democratic Party by first endorsing Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, running as an independent for governor of Rhode Island in 2010, serving as the co-chair of Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, and then officially switching his registration to the Democratic Party in May 2013. In March 2019, he joined the Libertarian Party.

In 2015, he sought nomination to become the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election, but withdrew prior to the primaries. In January 2020, Chafee filed to run again for president, this time seeking the Libertarian nomination. Chafee withdrew his candidacy on April 5, 2020, and announced he would instead focus on helping "other Libertarians seeking office."

## Questions

**When was Lincoln Chafee born?**  
Lincoln Chafee was born on 26 March 1953 in Providence.

**What positions has Lincoln Chafee held?**  
Positions held by Lincoln Chafee include: Governor of Rhode Island (2011–2015); United States senator (2005–2007); United States senator (2003–2005); United States senator (2001–2003); United States senator (1999–2001).

**Where did Lincoln Chafee study?**  
Lincoln Chafee was educated at Brown University, Montana State University, Phillips Academy, Providence Country Day School.

## Related

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- [Joe Biden](https://diginpl.com/people/joe-biden)
- [John F. Kennedy](https://diginpl.com/people/john-f-kennedy)
- [Harry S. Truman](https://diginpl.com/people/harry-s-truman)
- [Richard Nixon](https://diginpl.com/people/richard-nixon)
- [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://diginpl.com/people/lyndon-b-johnson)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Lincoln Chafee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Chafee) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q44690](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44690) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Lincoln Chafee official portrait.jpg (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Chafee_official_portrait.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Lincoln Chafee, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Lincoln Chafee official portrait.jpg, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Lincoln Chafee". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/lincoln-chafee. Retrieved 5 November 2026.