Philip William Noel (born June 6, 1931) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 68th governor of Rhode Island. He was elected in 1972, and re-elected in 1974.
Since the death of Edward D. DiPrete in 2025, he is the last surviving governor of Rhode Island to have served in the 20th century.
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Personal life
Philip Noel was born in Warwick, Rhode Island. His parents were Joe Noel, an auto mechanic, and Emma Crudeli Noel, a jewelry worker. He attended public schools in Warwick. He was a class president at Samuel Gorton High School, and was named to Rhode Island's All-State football team during his time there.
Noel took his first job at age 15, working as a commercial fisherman. Noel later accepted a football scholarship to Georgetown University. He transferred to Brown University when Georgetown dropped its football program. He received a degree in Economics from Brown in 1954, then returned to Georgetown University to study Law, with the goal of joining the FBI. While still in school, he obtained a job from Democratic Rhode Island Senator John O. Pastore as a mailman for the United States Senate Post Office.