Edmund Rice (politician)

Edmund Rice Jr. was born in Waitsfield, Vermont on February 14, 1819, to Edmund Rice and Ellen (Durkee) Rice, ethnic English whose ancestors had been in New England since the 17th century. His father, also named Edmund Rice, died when he was young and his mother and some siblings moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. His brother Henry Mower Rice left Kalamazoo for the West about the time Edmund began to study law in November 1838. Edmund was appointed registrar of the court of chancery in 1841. The next year he was admitted to the bar association and commenced to practice law in Kalamazoo. He was appointed master in chancery in 1845. Rice enlisted to serve in the Mexican–American War in 1847 and was commissioned first lieutenant of Company A, First Regiment, Michigan Volunteers. He married Anna Maria Acker in Kalamazoo on November 28, 1848.^[1]

In July 1849, shortly after the creation of the Minnesota Territory, the Rices moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, where Henry and his new wife had also begun residence. Edmund became clerk of the Minnesota Supreme Court's third circuit the same year. He was elected as a member of the Territorial House of Representatives in 1851. Rice practiced law in St. Paul, Minnesota Territory in partnership with George Becker and Ellis Whitall initially; Whitall left and William Hollinshead joined the firm which continued until Rice left in 1856 when he was elected commissioner of Ramsey County.

The following year, he became president of the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad Co., a position he held until 1863, when he became president of both the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad and the St. Paul & Chicago Railroad. He served as SP&P president until 1872 and as SP&C president until 1877. In 1879, he became a trustee of the SP&P.

Rice was a director in a syndicate of investors in the young town of Superior, Wisconsin, and held leadership roles for many years. He also speculatively bought lands for himself and for his businesses. The area north of St. Paul that included White Bear and French Canadian communities interested him.

Rice served in the Minnesota State Senate (1864–66) and (1874–76), and was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1867, 1872, 1877, and 1878.^[2] 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).

In 1877, he ran for Governor, however was defeated by William L. Banning in the primary, despite being an early favorite.^[3] In 1879, he successfully won the primary and became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Governor John Pillsbury defeated him and was elected to a third term.

After being defeated in 1888, Rice 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.