William Harrison Rice
Encyclopedia
William Harrison Rice (1813–1862) was a missionary teacher from the United States
who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands
and managed an early sugar plantation.
on the shore of Lake Ontario
. His father was Joseph Rice and mother Sally Rice.
On September 29, 1840 he married Mary Sophia Hyde, who was born on October 11, 1816. Her father was Jabez Backus Hyde, a missionary to the Seneca nation
in western New York State near current-day Buffalo, New York
, and mother was Jerusha Aiken Hyde. Reverend Hyde performed the wedding ceremony.
The Rices sailed in the ninth company of missionaries to Hawaii from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
on the ship Gloucester, leaving from Boston
on November 14, 1840 and arriving to Honolulu on May 21, 1841. Also in this company were John Davis Paris
, Elias Bond
, and Daniel Dole
.
The Rice and Paris families were intending to proceed to Oregon Territory
, but after being told of Indian uprisings at the Whitman Mission, decided to stay in Hawaii.
Their first posting after learning the Hawaiian language
was the remote Wānanalua mission station
in the Hana district, on the eastern coast of the island of Maui
.
Reverend Daniel Conde had founded the station in 1838, but was holding services in a traditional Hawaiian thatched building. The native Hawaiians
were put to work building a stone building starting in 1842, which still stands.
In 1844 the Rice family was transferred to become the first secular teachers at Punahou School
that had been founded by Dole two years before in Honolulu. One of his first tasks was to have a house constructed for his family and some boarders, known as "Rice Hall".
He then supervised the building of a building now called "Old School Hall" from 1848 to 1851, largely with student labor.
In 1854 they resigned from the school and moved to the island of Kauai
where he became manager for the Līhuʻe Plantation owned by Henry A. Peirce
and William Little Lee
, replacing James Fowler Baldwin Marshall. Since the plantation had suffered through extremes of storms and a drought, his pay was supplemented by shares in ownership of the company. The position also included a house called Koamalu, which means "shade of the Acacia koa tree".
From 1856 to 1857 Rice engineered and supervised construction of the first irrigation system for sugar cane in the Hawaiian Islands.
It took water from the wetter elevations of Kilohana Crater at 21°59′58"N 159°25′41"W, diverting the Hanamāʻulu Stream to solve the problem of uneven rainfall. It started as a simple ditch similar to smaller scale projects that ancient Hawaii
ans had developed, eventually adding flume
s and tunnels.
in 1861, but died from tuberculosis
in Līhuʻe on Kauai on May 27, 1862. His wife lived on until May 25, 1911, continuing to be a benefactor. Although he did not live to see it, the plantation shares became valuable as the demand for sugar increased due to the American Civil War
and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
. In 1907 the original Rice Hall at Punahou was torn down and replaced by a new dormitory also named for the family. It was subsequently demolished in 1950, and the central open area of the campus is now called Rice Field.
The Rices had five children. Daughter Hannah Maria Rice was born at Hana on February 17, 1842, in 1861 married German Paul Isenberg
, and died April 7, 1867. Isenberg (1837–1903) took over managing the plantation in 1862, and then was partner in the company that became Amfac, Inc. with Heinrich Hackfeld.
Daughter Emily Dole Rice was born May 10, 1844, married Honolulu judge George de la Vergne (1839–1924) in 1867, and died in 1911 in Los Angeles
.
Son William Hyde Rice
was born July 23, 1846, and became a politician, serving as the last Governor of Kauai. Mary Sophia Rice was born January 7, 1849 and died September 5, 1870.
Daughter Anna Charlotte Rice
was born on September 5, 1853, married businessman Charles Montague Cooke
, founded the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, and died on August 8, 1934.
Their son was banker and politician Clarence Hyde Cooke
(1876–1944), and great-grandson judge Alan Cooke Kay
(born 1932).
Other descendants include scientist Charles Montague Cooke, Jr. (1874–1948), musician Francis Judd Cooke
(1910–1995), and baseball player Steve Cooke
.
The modest irrigation system was expanded over the years. It was copied in other places in the islands, including a project by Henry Perrine Baldwin
. Baldwin's daughter Charlotte married Rice's grandson Harold Waterhouse Rice in December 1907.
By 1922, he had 66 known living descendants.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and managed an early sugar plantation.
Life
William Harrison Rice was born on October 12, 1813 in Oswego, New YorkOswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
on the shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. His father was Joseph Rice and mother Sally Rice.
On September 29, 1840 he married Mary Sophia Hyde, who was born on October 11, 1816. Her father was Jabez Backus Hyde, a missionary to the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
in western New York State near current-day Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and mother was Jerusha Aiken Hyde. Reverend Hyde performed the wedding ceremony.
The Rices sailed in the ninth company of missionaries to Hawaii from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
on the ship Gloucester, leaving from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on November 14, 1840 and arriving to Honolulu on May 21, 1841. Also in this company were John Davis Paris
John Davis Paris
John Davis Paris was an American Christian missionary to the island of Hawaii. Coming to the island by accident, he supervised construction of several historic churches, some of which survive today.-Life:...
, Elias Bond
Elias Bond
The Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii.The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond , Kalahikiola Church, and the Kohala Seminary.-Ellen and Elias Bond:Elias Bond was...
, and Daniel Dole
Daniel Dole
Daniel Dole was a Protestant missionary educator from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands.-Life:Daniel Dole as born September 9, 1808 in Skowhegan, Maine...
.
The Rice and Paris families were intending to proceed to Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
, but after being told of Indian uprisings at the Whitman Mission, decided to stay in Hawaii.
Their first posting after learning the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
was the remote Wānanalua mission station
Wananalua Congregational Church
The Wananalua Congregational Church is a historic 19th-century building on the remote coast of Maui in Hawaii.-History:Wānanalua was the name of a traditional land division on the eastern coast of the island of Maui....
in the Hana district, on the eastern coast of the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
.
Reverend Daniel Conde had founded the station in 1838, but was holding services in a traditional Hawaiian thatched building. The native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
were put to work building a stone building starting in 1842, which still stands.
In 1844 the Rice family was transferred to become the first secular teachers at Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
that had been founded by Dole two years before in Honolulu. One of his first tasks was to have a house constructed for his family and some boarders, known as "Rice Hall".
He then supervised the building of a building now called "Old School Hall" from 1848 to 1851, largely with student labor.
In 1854 they resigned from the school and moved to the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
where he became manager for the Līhuʻe Plantation owned by Henry A. Peirce
Henry A. Peirce
Henry Augustus Peirce was an American businessman and diplomat. Some sources spell his last name as Pierce.-Early life and business:...
and William Little Lee
William Little Lee
William Little Lee was an American lawyer who became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:...
, replacing James Fowler Baldwin Marshall. Since the plantation had suffered through extremes of storms and a drought, his pay was supplemented by shares in ownership of the company. The position also included a house called Koamalu, which means "shade of the Acacia koa tree".
From 1856 to 1857 Rice engineered and supervised construction of the first irrigation system for sugar cane in the Hawaiian Islands.
It took water from the wetter elevations of Kilohana Crater at 21°59′58"N 159°25′41"W, diverting the Hanamāʻulu Stream to solve the problem of uneven rainfall. It started as a simple ditch similar to smaller scale projects that ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
ans had developed, eventually adding flume
Flume
A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...
s and tunnels.
Death and legacy
Rice made a brief trip to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1861, but died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Līhuʻe on Kauai on May 27, 1862. His wife lived on until May 25, 1911, continuing to be a benefactor. Although he did not live to see it, the plantation shares became valuable as the demand for sugar increased due to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
The Treaty of reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875....
. In 1907 the original Rice Hall at Punahou was torn down and replaced by a new dormitory also named for the family. It was subsequently demolished in 1950, and the central open area of the campus is now called Rice Field.
The Rices had five children. Daughter Hannah Maria Rice was born at Hana on February 17, 1842, in 1861 married German Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg was a German businessman who developed the sugarcane business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Paul Heinrich Friedrich Carl Isenberg was born April 15, 1837 in Dransfeld, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany...
, and died April 7, 1867. Isenberg (1837–1903) took over managing the plantation in 1862, and then was partner in the company that became Amfac, Inc. with Heinrich Hackfeld.
Daughter Emily Dole Rice was born May 10, 1844, married Honolulu judge George de la Vergne (1839–1924) in 1867, and died in 1911 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Son William Hyde Rice
William Hyde Rice
William Hyde Rice was a businessman and politician during the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He collected and published legends of Hawaiian mythology.-Life:William Hyde Rice was born at Honolulu, Hawaii on July 23, 1846...
was born July 23, 1846, and became a politician, serving as the last Governor of Kauai. Mary Sophia Rice was born January 7, 1849 and died September 5, 1870.
Daughter Anna Charlotte Rice
Anna Rice Cooke
Anna Rice Cooke was a patron of the arts and the founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.-Biography:Anna Charlotte Rice was born on September 5, 1853 into a prominent missionary family on Oahu, Hawaii. Her father was teacher William Harrison Rice , and her mother was Mary Sophia Hyde. Anna grew...
was born on September 5, 1853, married businessman Charles Montague Cooke
Charles Montague Cooke
Charles Montague Cooke was a businessman during the Kingdom of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii and Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Charles Montague Cooke was born May 6, 1849 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was Amos Starr Cooke co-founder of Castle & Cooke...
, founded the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, and died on August 8, 1934.
Their son was banker and politician Clarence Hyde Cooke
Clarence Hyde Cooke
-Life:Clarence Cooke was born April 17, 1876 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was the second son of Charles Montague Cooke and Anna Rice Cooke, and grandson of New England Congregational missionaries to Hawaii Amos Starr Cooke and William Harrison Rice, and thus partial heir to the fortune of Castle &...
(1876–1944), and great-grandson judge Alan Cooke Kay
Alan Cooke Kay
Alan Cooke Kay is an American lawyer and judge. He serves as judge on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.-Life:...
(born 1932).
Other descendants include scientist Charles Montague Cooke, Jr. (1874–1948), musician Francis Judd Cooke
Francis Judd Cooke
Francis Judd Cooke was an American composer, organist, cellist, pianist, conductor, choir director, and professor.-Life:...
(1910–1995), and baseball player Steve Cooke
Steve Cooke
Steven Cooke is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1992–1994 and 1996-1998. He was named as the LHP in the Topps All-Star Rookie Team in 1993.-Life:...
.
The modest irrigation system was expanded over the years. It was copied in other places in the islands, including a project by Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
. Baldwin's daughter Charlotte married Rice's grandson Harold Waterhouse Rice in December 1907.
By 1922, he had 66 known living descendants.