William Jefferson Blythe Jr. lost control of his 1942 Buick on U.S. Route 60 outside of Sikeston, Missouri, after one of his car's tires blew out. He survived the accident after being thrown from the car, but drowned in a drainage ditch as he tried to pull his way out of the three feet (1 meter) of water in the ditch. Three months later, Blythe's widow, Virginia, gave birth to their son, whom she named William Jefferson Blythe III in honor of his father and grandfather. In 1950, Blythe's widow married Roger Clinton Sr.; 12 years later, Blythe's posthumous son legally adopted his stepfather's
William Sprague III of anti-Irish bigotry involved. In 2011, the condemned man was posthumously pardoned by the Rhode Island governor. In addition to the family business, he was president of the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad, and of two banks. The extended Sprague family has descendants who live in the Utica, New York area. Sprague died in Providence, Rhode Island, and is interred in Swan Point Cemetery there. William Sprague III William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th