John Ashley Rice (March 17, 1832August 18, 1906) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

physician,

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served six years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Waukesha County. He was also a witness at the trial of

Charles J. Guiteau Charles Julius Guiteau ( ; September 8, 1841June 30, 1882) was an American man who assassinated James A. Garfield, president of the United States, on July 2, 1881. Guiteau falsely believed he had played a major role in Garfield's election vic ...

for the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

of U.S. President James A. Garfield.

Biography

Rice was born on March 17, 1832, in Ticonderoga, New York. As a young man, he studied medicine with Dr. Harris, in Fleming County, Kentucky. He then attended Western Reserve Medical College, of Hudson, Ohio, where he graduated in 1852. That same year, he moved to the town of

Merton, Wisconsin Merton is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States; before Wisconsin statehood, it was called Warren. The population was 7,988 at the 2000 census. The town surrounds the villages of Chenequa and Merton. The unincorporated communities ...

, in Waukesha County, where he started a medical practice. Rice's medical practice flourished, and within a decade he was considered one of the foremost physicians in the state. He also became active in politics as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to three non-consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Waukesha County in the

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

, and

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

sessions. He was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in the 1871 election, but was defeated by Milton Pettit. In addition to his medical career, Rice became a celebrated archaeologist in his later years. In the 1870s, he participated in an industrial expedition to Mexico and formed a friendly relationship with Mexican President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

. Díaz furnished him with a personal military guard which accompanied him around the country, visiting various sites of interest. At the end of his side, he was inducted into the Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística (Mexican Society for Geography and Statistics) the oldest such society in the Americas. He received national notoriety when he testified as a defense witness at the trial of

for the

of U.S. President James A. Garfield. Guiteau's defense counsel was attempting to argue that he had been insane at the time of the murder. Dr. Rice had examined Guiteau five years earlier—in 1876—to consider his sanity. Rice pronounced him insane at that time, but Guiteau fled the county to avoid being committed to an institution. In his testimony in 1881, Dr. Rice went on to explain the behaviors he observed in Guiteau that led to that insanity diagnosis, including religious delusions. Rice died at his home on Lake Keesus in the town of Merton on August 18, 1906.

Personal life and family

Rice married Caroline Caswell in 1852. They had four children before her death in 1864. Rice was survived by only one child, his daughter May.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1869)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1869

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1871)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1871

Wisconsin Senate (1873)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873

Wisconsin Senate (1877)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1877

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, John A. 1832 births 1906 deaths People from Ticonderoga, New York People from Merton, Wisconsin School superintendents in Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Physicians from Wisconsin Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine alumni Educators from New York (state) Wisconsin pioneers