After eight years as governor, Greene, who supported the use of hard currency, was defeated in the May 1786 election by John Collins who was an advocate of paper money.

[4] In October 1771 Greene was on a committee to finish the construction of the court house in the neighboring town of East Greenwich.

As a result, on December 10, 1776, Greene was chosen as a member of the colony's Council of War to act when the General Assembly was not in session.

[7] Greene was said to be of "remarkable physical vigor" because two or three times a week he would walk from Warwick or East Greenwich to Providence and return the same afternoon, about 17 miles round trip.

[13] Some of the events occurring during Greene's early tenure as governor included the British sacking of the towns of Bristol and Warren on May 25, 1778, and the subsequent arrival of the French fleet on July 29, 1778, under the command of the Comte d'Estaing.

The buildings of Rhode Island College (later Brown University) in Providence were used as a barracks and hospital during the latter part of the war until 1782.

[15] The most important event of 1780 was the arrival in Newport of 44 French ships under the command of Admiral De Ternay, who brought 6000 troops to serve under Count Rochambeau.

[15] In 1781, after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown to French and American forces, the General Assembly changed the name of Kings County, Rhode Island to Washington County "in perpetual and grateful remembrance of the eminent and most distinguished services, and heroic actions of the illustrious commander-in-chief of the forces of the United States of America.

"[15] As the new nation was forming, in 1782 Rhode Island and Georgia were the only two states that rejected a 5% import tax proposed by congress.

[16] Congressional delegate David Howell was backed by a unanimous vote of the House of Deputies and by Governor Greene in rejecting the import tax.

[17] A major human rights act was passed in the General Assembly in February 1784 allowing for the gradual emancipation of slaves.