Chafee was born on October 22, 1922 in Providence, Rhode Island. He studied at Yale University and at Harvard Law School. Chafee was married to Virginia Coates until his death in 1999. They had six children; one daughter was killed in an racing accident.
Chafee died suddenly on October 24, 1999 from congestive heart failure in his home in Washington, D.C., aged 77.[1] He is buried at Chafee Family Cemetery in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Chafee's son, Lincoln, is a former governor and former senator of Rhode Island.