The Director of Public Education, the seventh-ranking official in the state government's council, might seem far down the list, merely the seventh in line to succeed the Governor of Rhode Island, assuming the Governor-General, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, and the Treasurer all passed away, allowing for the assumption of the gubernatorial role of Rhode Island.
However, the position was quite substantial because it meant overseeing all public education affairs in Rhode Island, led by the Director and the State Board of Education, of which he was the Secretary-General.
