Alexander H. Rice

Alexander Hamilton Rice ( born August 30, 1818 in Newton, Massachusetts, † July 22, 1895 in Melrose, Massachusetts ) was an American politician and from 1876 to 1879 Governor of Massachusetts. Between 1859 and 1867 he represented his state in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early years and political rise

Alexander Rice attended the public schools of his native land and from then until 1840, the Union College in Schenectady. Thereafter, it was active in the production of paper. Rice played an important role in the founding of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. Since 1853 he sat on the city council of Boston; 1856-1857 he was a successor to Jerome Smith mayor of this city.

Congressman and Governor

Between 4 March 1859 and the March 3, 1867 Rice represented his state as a deputy in Congress. He was chairman of Marine Committee. After the end of his time in the Federal Capital Rice resumed its operations in Massachusetts. In May 1868, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago, was nominated on the Ulysses S. Grant as the presidential candidate of the party.

On November 2, 1875 Rice was elected as the new governor of his state, which he won with 48:45 percent of the vote against the Democratic incumbent William Gaston. After he was confirmed in the following two years each, he could hold that office between January 6, 1876 and January 1, 1879. During this time, two new asylums were opened for nervous patients. A Prohibition law at the local level politically did not prevail. During his tenure, some social welfare programs have been proposed. In 1878, Rice opted not to run again.

Further CV

After the end of his governorship to Rice retired from politics. But he was still active in the securities business. He was also a member of several supervisory boards in the financial sector and in education. Alexander Rice died in July 1895 and was buried in Newton. He was married twice and had four children.