Richard Licht Rhode Island Senatorial Papers (Mss. Gr. 163)
University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt RoadKingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632
email: archives@etal.uri.edu
Biographical note
Richard A. Licht, nephew of two term governor Frank Licht, was born in Providence, R.I. on March 25, 1948. In 1968 he graduated from Harvard College, cum laude. Licht received his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1972 and earned an LL.M. degree in Taxation from Boston University School of Law in 1975. After serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas Roberts, then Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1973 to 1974, Mr. Licht went into private legal practice.
Richard Licht served as a member of the Rhode Island State Senate from 1975 to 1984 and held two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1985 to January 1989. He served on the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education from 1991-1997 and was Chairman 1992-1995.
As a senator, Licht championed such issues as parental leave and providing access to affordable day care. He sponsored the first open space bond issue for purchasing open space and recreational lands. He also created and chaired the state's Long Term Care Coordinating Council, and fought for small businesses by creating and then chairing the state's Small Business Advisory Council.
In 1988, Licht ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent John H. Chafee for a seat in the U. S. Senate. In 2000, Licht made another bid for the U.S. Senate. After Senator John Chafee's unexpected death in October 1999, his son Lincoln, four-term mayor of the city of Warwick, was appointed to serve until the 2000 election. Lincoln had previously declared his candidacy for his father's senate seat after his father had announced that he would not seek reelection in 2000. Richard Licht ran for the Democratic nomination against U.S. Rep. Robert Weygand, who was representing Rhode Island's 2nd district. Licht had the endorsement of the state party but he had been out of politics since 1988. Perhaps this contributed to his defeat by Weygand who garnered 57% of the voting the primary on Sept 12th.
