Thomas Rice (March 30, 1768 – August 25, 1854) 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Thomas Rice was born March 30, 1768, in Pownalborough in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the Thirteen Colonies, thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III of England, William III and Mary II ...

(now known as

Wiscasset, Maine Wiscasset is a New England town, town in and the county seat, seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

), to Thomas Rice and Rebecca (Kingsbury) Rice. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1791. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...

, in 1794 and commenced practice in

Winslow Winslow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish * Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974 United States and Canada * Rural Municipality of Winslow ...

in Massachusetts'

District of Maine The District of Maine was the governmental designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from October 25, 1780 to March 15, 1820, when it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. The district was a part of the Commonwealth of Massachuse ...

, the following year. Thomas Rice married Sarah Swan on October 22, 1796. He was appointed in 1807 by the supreme judicial court of Maine one of the examiners of counselors and attorneys for Kennebec County. He served as member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1814. Rice was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Congresses (March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1818 to the

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

Congress. He resumed the practice of law. After Sarah Swan Rice died September 26, 1840, Rice remarried to Susanna Greene, daughter of Col R. H. Greene, on February 16, 1841, at Winslow, Maine. To this marriage, he had a son, Thomas III, who was born in 1843. He died in Winslow, Maine, on August 25, 1854. He was interred at Pine Grove Cemetery,

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

. Thomas Rice was a direct descendant of

Edmund Rice Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

an early immigrant to

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

as follows: * Thomas Rice, son of :* Thomas Rice (November 27, 1734 - April 21, 1812), son of :* Noah Rice (1705 - Feb 1759), son of ::* Thomas Rice (30 Jun 1654 - 1747), son of ::* Thomas Rice (26 Jan 1625 - 16 Nov 1681), son of :::*

(1594 - 3 May 1663)

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Thomas 1768 births 1854 deaths People from Wiscasset, Maine Members of the United States House of Representatives from the District of Maine Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Harvard College alumni People from Winslow, Maine Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts