Rice was born in
Mecca, Ohio on September 21, 1829. He attended the academy in
Farmington, Ohio and then Geauga Academy in
Chester, received his qualification as a schoolteacher, and taught school. At Geauga Academy, he was acquainted with
James A. Garfield and Garfield's future wife
Lucretia Randolph, who were students at the same time as Rice. While teaching school Rice studied law with
John Hutchins. He was admitted to the bar in June 1854 and practiced in
Mahoning County, Ohio. In 1858, Rice moved to
California, Missouri. He supported the
Union during the
American Civil War. From June to October 1861 he served in a home guard unit commanded by Colonel Allen P. Richardson. During this service, he was offered the position of second in command as a lieutenant colonel, which he declined. Rice then recruited a company which was mustered into service as part of the
26th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and he served until the end of the war. He took part in all the regiment's battles, including the
Siege of Corinth, the
Battle of Iuka, the
Battle of Missionary Ridge, and
Sherman's March to the Sea. He advanced through the ranks to command the regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and he led the unit to
St. Louis to be mustered out in the summer of 1865. After the war Rice resumed practicing law in
Tipton, Missouri. From 1868 to 1874 he was a judge of the Missouri Circuit Court. Rice was elected as a
Greenback to the
Forty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1882. He resumed the practice of law in
Boonville, Missouri, where he died on November 7, 1895. He was interred in Tipton Cemetery in Tipton. == External links ==