Theron Moses Rice (September 21, 1829 – November 7, 1895) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Biography

Rice was born in

Mecca, Ohio Mecca (also called East Mecca) is an unincorporated community in Trumbull County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History A post office called Mecca was established in 1825, and remained in operation until 1904. The community was named after Mecca, i ...

on September 21, 1829. He attended the academy in

Farmington, Ohio Farmington is an unincorporated community in Belmont County, in the U.S. state of Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvan ...

and then Geauga Academy in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, received his qualification as a schoolteacher, and taught school. At Geauga Academy, he was acquainted with

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

and Garfield's future wife Lucretia Randolph, who were students at the same time as Rice. While teaching school Rice studied law with John Hutchins. He was admitted to the bar in June 1854 and practiced in

Mahoning County, Ohio Mahoning County is located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown. The county is List of Ohio county name etymolo ...

. In 1858, Rice moved to

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,498. It is the largest city in Moniteau County and the third largest city in the Jefferson City metropolitan ar ...

. He supported the Union during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. From June to October 1861 he served in a home guard unit commanded by Colonel Allen P. Richardson. During this service, he was offered the position of second in command as a lieutenant colonel, which he declined. Rice then recruited a company which was mustered into service as part of the

26th Missouri Volunteer Infantry The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment was organized from recruits across the state of Missouri, September through Dec ...

, and he served until the end of the war. He took part in all the regiment's battles, including the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

, the

Battle of Iuka The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans stopped the advance of the Confederate Army of ...

, the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge, also known as the Battle of Chattanooga, was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union Army, Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on ...

, and Sherman's March to the Sea. He advanced through the ranks to command the regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and he led the unit to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

to be mustered out in the summer of 1865. After the war Rice resumed practicing law in

Tipton, Missouri Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,920 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,262 in 2010. It is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan area. History Tipton was a predominantly German-American com ...

. From 1868 to 1874 he was a judge of the Missouri Circuit Court. Rice was elected as a Greenback to the

Forty-seventh Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881, ...

(March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1882. He resumed the practice of law in

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

, where he died on November 7, 1895. He was interred in Tipton Cemetery in Tipton.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Theron M. 1829 births 1895 deaths People from Trumbull County, Ohio Greenback Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Missouri state court judges Ohio lawyers Missouri lawyers 19th-century Missouri state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Union army officers People of Missouri in the American Civil War 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives