Ira A. Rice
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Ira A. Rice | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Racine 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1870 – January 2, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Hiram L. Gilmore |
| Succeeded by | George Bremner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1812 New Haven, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 1887 (aged 74) Waterford, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery, Waterford, Wisconsin |
| Party |
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| Spouse |
Orilla Caldwell
(m. 1837; died 1886) |
| Children |
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| Occupation | Farmer |
Ira Albert Rice (September 17, 1812 – March 23, 1887) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Racine County during the 1870 term. He was one of the founders of the village of Waterford, Wisconsin. His son, John T. Rice, also served in the State Assembly.
Ira Rice was born in Oswego County, New York, in September 1812. He was raised and educated there, and came west to the Wisconsin Territory at age 23, arriving in May 1836. He claimed a plot of land in what is now the town of Waterford, in northern Racine County. As a pioneer settler, Rice constructed the first bridge over the Fox River in western Racine County. With the assistance of Arad Wells, he plowed the first farmland in the township, planting a crop of red clover.[1] In the early years, he would raise potatoes, rutabaga, wheat, and corn.[2]
He was elected a justice of the peace in the mid-1840s and held the office for 25 years. He was initially involved in politics as a member of the Whig Party, and joined the Republican Party after it was established in 1854.[3] He made his first run for Wisconsin State Assembly in 1858, but lost to Democrat Franklin E. Hoyt.[4]
Rice was particularly active in politics in the lead-up to the 1860 United States presidential election, and was an officer in the local Wide Awakes chapter, supporting the election of Abraham Lincoln.[5]
In 1869, the Republican district convention in Racine County's 2nd Assembly district nominated James L. Coffin. A short time later, Rice entered the race as an independent candidate. He wrote in the Racine Argus that he was accepting the call to run from a number of prominent Racine County residents, including Democrats Nicholas D. Fratt and Nelson R. Norton.[6] The move was met with outrage by the Racine County Republican establishment, declaring Rice a traitor and outcast.[7] With Democratic support and a sufficient number of his Republican friends, Rice prevailed in the general election by 82 votes over Coffin.[8]
Rice was also admitted to the Racine County bar in 1870, after studying law on his own for several years.[3] His primary occupation remained his farming interests, but he would occasionally take clients as a lawyer in his later years.