Rice William Means (November 16, 1877January 30, 1949) was an American soldier and lawyer who became a Ku Klux Klan leader and a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

Early life, education, and military service

Born in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, he moved with his parents to

Yuma County, Colorado Yuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,988. The county seat is Wray. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and ...

in 1887. He settled in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1889, and attended the public schools and Sacred Heart College of Denver (now called Regis University). During the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, he commanded a company in the

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

campaign of 1899, for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. Means "distinguished himself before the fall of Manila by swimming the Singalon river to reconnoiter the Spanish works", escaping capture when he was spotted. Returning from the war, he expressed a desire for the United States to permanently incorporate the Philippines, envisioning

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

surpassing

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

as a trading center. In 1901, he graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

at Ann Arbor, and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

and commenced practice in Denver. From 1902 to 1904, he was county judge of Adams County, and in 1908 was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

Sixty-first United States Congress The 61st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1909, to ...

. Following this defeat, he was appointed deputy district attorney for

Adams County, Colorado Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 519,572. The county seat is Brighton. The county is named for Alva Adams, an early Governor of the State of Colorado in 1887–1889. A ...

. Means was elected commander-in-chief of the Army of the Philippines in 1913, and of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1914. He served during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a lieutenant colonel and

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the Fortieth Division School of Arms. He commanded the 4th Infantry in the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...

. Means ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1920, losing the Republican nomination to

Samuel D. Nicholson Samuel Danford Nicholson (1859March 24, 1923) was a United States senator from Colorado. Nicholson was born on Feb. 22, 1859 in Springfield, Prince Edward Island, Springfield, Prince Edward Island, British North America, he attended the public ...

, who would go on to win the seat. He was attorney for the City and County of

in 1923 and 1924.

Political career and later life

Means was elected as a

to the United States Senate on November 4, 1924, in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by Nicholson's death. During the campaign, his Democratic opponent nicknamed him "Puffed Rice", but this did not hinder Means' election. Means was one of several candidates reported to have benefited from the support of the state's Ku Klux Klan organization. He served in the Senate from December 1, 1924, to March 3, 1927, chairing the Committee on Claims ( Sixty-ninth Congress). During his tenure, he authored legislation deeming

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...

(later called

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...

) a national holiday in the United States. During this time, Means also became directing head of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado. In 1926, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, as he was again defeated in the Republican primary, this time by Charles W. Waterman, who "rode to victory on the wave of anti-klan sentiment". In 1926 and 1927, Means was commander in chief of the United Spanish War Veterans, and, in 1927, he became president of the National Tribune Corporation and publisher of the ''

National Tribune ''National Tribune'' was an independent newspaper and publishing company owned by the National Tribune Company, formed in 1877 in Washington, D.C. Overview ''The National Tribune'' (official title) was a post-Civil War newspaper based in Washin ...

'' and '' Stars and Stripes'' in

Washington, D.C ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. Means fiercely criticized the FDR administration in response to the enactment of the initial New Deal measures in 1933, declaring them to be the product of "ruthless, vicious propaganda" and "a stain upon the honor of the United States". Means retired in 1937, and died in Denver on January 30, 1949, following a six-month bout with heart problems. He was interred in Denver's Fairmount Cemetery.

References

External links

* Retrieved on 2009-02-25 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Means, Rice W. 1877 births 1949 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of World War I Colorado Republicans Former Ku Klux Klan members Politicians from St. Joseph, Missouri Regis University alumni Republican Party United States senators from Colorado United States Army officers University of Michigan Law School alumni National Commanders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars American Ku Klux Klan members