John S. Rice
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John Stanley Rice (January 28, 1899 – August 2, 1985) was an American Democratic politician, farmer and businessman from the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
of
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. Rice served in a variety of appointed and elected political roles over the course of a three-decade political career.


Background

A native of Brysonia, a small town several miles north of Gettysburg, Rice graduated from
Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about ...
. He became a successful apple grower, and went on to manufacture packaged apple products. He often returned to this business between political appointments. Rice was a
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
.


Political career

Rice was elected to the
Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...
in 1932. He was elected Democratic floor leader in 1937, following the resignation of Warren Roberts, who took office as State Auditor General. He was elected the Senate's President pro tempore in 1939. In 1946, he was the Democratic nominee for
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, but lost to Republican
State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the District of Columbia, federal district, or of any of the Territories of the United States, territories is the chief legal advisor to the State governments of the United States, sta ...
James Duff.


Gubernatorial appointments

In 1955, Governor George Leader named Rice to the first round of appointments to the overhauled
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is the independent state government agency in Pennsylvania that manages the beverage alcohol industry in the state under the regulations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Code. The board is responsible for ...
. He resigned from the board later that year, when Leader appointed him Secretary of the Department of Property and Supplies (now the Department of General Services). After resigning from the cabinet in 1957, he returned to his apple farm and packaging business. However, in 1958, Leader again appointed Rice to a position in his cabinet, having him succeed the deceased James Finnegan as Secretary of the Commonwealth. Rice was also elected chair of the State Democratic Party in 1959. In 1961, Rice received his final political appointment, when
President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
named him U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands. He stepped-down from the position three years later.


Death and legacy

Rice died in
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
in August 1985. Rice Hall, on the campus of Gettysburg College, is named in his honor. He had served as a trustee of the college from 1939 until 1972, when he retired to Fort Lauderdale.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, John S. 1899 births 1985 deaths American Lutherans Gettysburg College alumni Ambassadors of the United States to the Netherlands Pennsylvania state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairs 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly