Edmund Rice

Edmund Rice (February 14, 1819 – July 11, 1889) was an American politician. He was born in Waitsfield, Vermont and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan in November 1838 to study law. He was admitted to the bar association in 1842 and commenced practice in Kalamazoo. Rice enlisted to serve in the Mexican-American War in 1847 and commissioned first lieutenant of Company A, First Regiment, Michigan Volunteers. He was the brother of Henry Mower Rice. He married Anna Maria Acker on November 28, 1848.

In July 1849, he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and became clerk of the Minnesota Supreme Court's third circuit the same year. He was a member of the Territorial house of representatives in 1851. Rice practiced law until 1856 when he was elected commissioner of Ramsey County.

He became president of the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad Co. (1857 – 1863) and of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (1863 – 1872), and trustee of the latter in 1879. From 1863 to 1877, he was president of the St. Paul & Chicago Railroad.

Rice served in the Minnesota State Senate 1864 – 1866 and 1874 – 1876, and was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1867, 1872, 1877, and 1878. He was elected mayor of St. Paul and served from 1881 to 1883, was again elected mayor in 1885, and served until February 1887 when he resigned to take an office in the 50th United States Congress (March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1889). His reelection campaign in 1888 was unsuccessful, so he retired from public and political activities.

He died in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on July 11, 1889. His body is interred in Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul. His great, great, great, great grandfather was the immigrant, Edmund Rice (1638), as follows:

*Edmund Rice, son of:*Edmund Rice (March 26, 1784 – May 27, 1829), son of ::*Jedediah Rice (b. April 2, 1755), son of:::*Ashur Rice (July 6, 1694 – August 20, 1773), son of::::*Thomas Rice (June 30, 1654 – 1747), son of:::::*Thomas Rice (January 26, 1626 – 1682), son of::::::*Edmund Rice (1594 – May 3, 1663)

References

* [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=14501 Minnesota Legislators Past and Present]