century association biographical archive

Earliest Members of the Century Association

View all members

William J. Hoppin

Lawyer/Diplomat

Centurion, 1847–1895

Full Name William Jones Hoppin

Born 21 April 1813 in Providence, Rhode Island

Died 3 September 1895 in Providence, Rhode Island

Buried Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island

Proposed by N/A: Founder

Elected 13 January 1847 at age thirty-three

Archivist’s Note: Designated an honorary member in 1891. Brother of Augustus Hoppin and Hamilton Hoppin.

Century Memorial

William J. Hoppin, who died in Newport last September, who stood on our list as an honorary member, as one of the founders of The Century, was the last survivor but one of that notable body of men—our late President, Mr. Huntington, being the only one remaining.

It is many years since he has honored us with his presence, but during his residence in the city he was always a conspicuous figure at our meetings, and a welcome addition to any society. He bore about him always the air of the true gentleman. Easy and dignified in his bearing, charming and instructive in his conversation, which gave evidence of his thorough education and refinement, courteous and kindly to all, he was an ideal representative of the cultured American.

During his residence here he was a lawyer of high standing in his profession, was one of the founders of the Union League Club of this city, and one of its early presidents, and in the office which he filled in the later years of his life, as Secretary of the American Legation in London, under Ministers Schenck, Welch [sic: “Welsh” intended], Lowell and Phelps, was a representative of whom his countrymen had reason to be proud.

Henry E. Howland
1896 Century Association Yearbook