Charles Rice (general)
Encyclopedia
Charles Rice was a brigadier general in the Massachusetts Militia
, a selectman in Needham
, a justice of the peace
and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
.
on 8 November 1820 and they had six children.
Rice was an owner of a planing mill
and a grist mill in the village of Newton Lower Falls
in Needham, Massachusetts
and leased lands to other factory owners. Rice served as a selectman in Needham from 1825-1833, and was a leader in the Democratic Party in the town. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1829 and served until 1831. Rice served a militiaman in the War of 1812, and rose through the ranks as lieutenant colonel of the 1st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the Massachusetts State Militia from 1825-1827, and in 1828 became general of the brigade, serving until 1843. He was a prominent freemason
, and was a local justice of the peace. General Charles Rice and Emery Fiske are credited with the first proposal (1852) to separate Newton Lower Falls and other villages from Needham to form the town of Wellesley
.
Rice died in Needham on 20 Nov 1863, and he was buried at St. Mary's Churchyard
in the village of Newton Lower Falls. General Charles Rice's nephew Alexander Hamilton Rice was a governor and congressman from Massachusetts.
Massachusetts National Guard
The Massachusetts National Guard was founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, and contains the oldest units in the United States Army. It is currently headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts and commanded by Major General Joseph C...
, a selectman in Needham
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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 single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
.
Biography
Charles Rice was born in Brighton, Massachusetts on 26 December 1787 to John Rice and Mary (Lee) Rice. He married Lucy Mann of Needham on 23 November 1809, and they had no children. After Lucy Rice's death in 1819, Rice married Maria Jennings of NatickNatick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
on 8 November 1820 and they had six children.
Rice was an owner of a planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and a grist mill in the village of Newton Lower Falls
Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts
Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts is a village of Newton, Massachusetts, on the Charles River. The commercial area extends across the river into Wellesley, Massachusetts, where it is known as Wellesley Lower Falls, where a majority of the retail businesses are.The Charles River drops 18 feet over...
in Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
and leased lands to other factory owners. Rice served as a selectman in Needham from 1825-1833, and was a leader in the Democratic Party in the town. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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 single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1829 and served until 1831. Rice served a militiaman in the War of 1812, and rose through the ranks as lieutenant colonel of the 1st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the Massachusetts State Militia from 1825-1827, and in 1828 became general of the brigade, serving until 1843. He was a prominent freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and was a local justice of the peace. General Charles Rice and Emery Fiske are credited with the first proposal (1852) to separate Newton Lower Falls and other villages from Needham to form the town of Wellesley
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
.
Rice died in Needham on 20 Nov 1863, and he was buried at St. Mary's Churchyard
St. Mary's Episcopal Church (Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church and Cemetery, located at 258 Concord Street, in the village of Newton Lower Falls, Newton, Massachusetts, were added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1980. St...
in the village of Newton Lower Falls. General Charles Rice's nephew Alexander Hamilton Rice was a governor and congressman from Massachusetts.