Ainsworth Rand Spofford

Ainsworth Rand Spofford
Ainsworth Rand Spofford
6th Librarian of Congress
In office December 31, 1864 – July 1, 1897
President	Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland William McKinley
Preceded by	John Gould Stephenson
Succeeded by	John Russell Young
Personal details
Born	(1825-09-12)September 12, 1825 Gilmanton, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	August 11, 1908(1908-08-11) (aged 82) Holderness, New Hampshire, U.S.
Resting place	Rock Creek Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Publisher journalist

Ainsworth Rand Spofford (September 12, 1825 – August 11, 1908) was an American journalist, prolific writer and the sixth Librarian of Congress. He served as librarian from 1864 to 1897 under the administration of ten presidents. A great admirer of Benjamin Franklin, he wrote a twenty-one page introduction in Franklin's autobiography, which he edited and published.^[1]