His great-great-grandfather, Henry Lippitt, was Governor of Rhode Island. Among his great-great-uncles are Rhode Island Governor Charles Warren Lippitt, and U.S. Senator Henry Frederick Lippitt. His great-uncle, Zechariah Chafee, was a Harvard law professor and a notable civil libertarian. Tbe Chafee family was among the earliest settlers of Hingham, Massachusetts, before moving south to Rhode Island. His father, John Chafee, was one of Rhode Island's U.S. Senators and Lincoln was appointed to serve out his term after John died suddenly in October 1999.