The family ran the largest textile firm in the United States and two of its members (William Sprague III and William Sprague IV) held the offices of Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator.
The family arrived in the United States in 1629 when Ralph, Richard, and William Sprague emigrated from Upwey, Dorset, England to Naumkeag.
In the early 1800s, William Sprague II founded a successful textile business in Cranston, Rhode Island.
[2] Due to bad investments and careless speculation, the company fell into receivership following the Panic of 1873.
[3] Francis Sprague, who was unrelated to Ralph, Richard, and William, settled in the Plymouth Colony in 1623.