Theron Moses Rice (September 21, 1829 – November 7, 1895) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Missouri.

Biography

Rice was born in

Mecca, Ohio Mecca (also called East Mecca) is an unincorporated community in Trumbull County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History A post office called Mecca was established in 1825, and remained in operation until 1904. The community was named after Mecca, in S ...

on September 21, 1829. He attended the academy in Farmington, Ohio and then Geauga Academy in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, 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 Mahoning County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown. The county is List of ...

. In 1858, Rice moved to

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The 2010 census has the population at 4,278. California is the third largest city in the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as ...

. 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 The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was organized from recruits across the state of Missouri, September through ...

, 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 The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...

, 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 The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. ) , image_sk ...

(March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1882. He resumed the practice of law in

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

, where he died on November 7, 1895. He was interred in Tipton Cemetery in Tipton.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Theron Moses 1829 births 1895 deaths Ohio lawyers Missouri lawyers Union Army officers Missouri state court judges People from Trumbull County, Ohio Greenback Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Missouri Greenbacks Burials in Missouri 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri