James S. Slater, born Apr.23, 1841, and died Nov. 11, 1915, served as Town Clerk of No Smithfield from 1903 to 1914 and in the General Assembly from 1914 to 1915. Rhode Island and Providence Plantations owed him recognition for his exhaustive study of old records and his untiring effort to keep before the people the fact that the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations declared its independence of the British Crown on May 4, 1776, the first of the thirteen colonies to take such action. The first formal celebration of that event was held in North Smithfield on May 4, 1906, and the first official celebration was held in Providence on May 4, 1909.