Biography of Geo. Rice

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an 
	illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium   
        of local biography, including biographical sketches of...prominent 
	old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota with a 
	review of their life work... Also a compendium of national biography."
        Publisher: Chicago, G. A. Ogle, 1898. Pages 227-228.

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 

HON. GEO. RICE, ex-Attorney General of the Territory of Dakota, and ex-representative 
in the legislature, is the first man who ever practiced law in Flandreau, Moody county. 
He still resides there, one of the best known men in that part of the state, both as a 
public man and a lawyer. Mr. Rice was born in Butler county, Iowa, November 16, 1854, 
and is the son of Orson and Anna L. (Hawker) Rice, the former of whom was a native of 
New York and the latter of England. Mr. Rice's father settled in Butler county, Iowa, 
about 1852. He is also a lawyer, and practiced his profession there until a few years 
ago, when he retired. He now lives with his son in Flandreau. There were five children 
in the family: Clara, Orson Jr., William, George, the subject of this sketch, and 
Frederick. Mr. Rice was educated in Iowa, and soon after his school days were over 
he began to read law in his father's office. He was admitted to the bar in February, 
1877, in Dickinson county, Iowa, and the following year came to Dakota Territory and 
established a little office in Flandreau. It was then but a hamlet, or rather, a 
collection of two stores, two blacksmith shops, a land office or two, an Indian school, 
about a dozen houses of almost primeval pattern, and no lawyer. Mr. Rice soon supplied 
the last named want, and so acceptably that his practice grew apace as the farmers, 
cattlemen and others for miles around were wont to come down to Flandreau and get 
Mr. Rice's counsel and aid in their legal troubles and transactions. It was soon 
discovered that though young, the new arrival was a clever attorney, and he has 
since proved his ability and knowledge of the law in many weighty and important 
cases that have come up in his subsequent practice. In 1891 Mr. Rice went to the 
Pacific coast, where he remained three or four years. In 1895 he left the sunny 
slope and went to Mankato, Minnesota. He remained there but one year and then 
came back to Flandreau.

In 1885 Mr. Rice was chosen as attorney-general of the territory, and served for 
two years, leaving behind an excellent record. In 1882 he was elected to the 
legislature, serving until the next session. Again in 1884 he was sent as a 
representative to the capital, and served through the session of 1885. Mr. Rice 
was speaker of the house during this session. He has also been frequently honored 
with local offices during his residence in South Dakota, having been treasurer 
of the county from 1881 to 1883, president of the village board later, and the 
incumbent of a number of minor offices. Mr. Rice has always been a stanch Republican. 
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, blue lodge, chapter and commandery, in the 
state of Washington, and has been a scribe in the chapter. He is also a member of the 
Modern Woodmen lodge at Flandreau.

Mr. Rice married Miss Rose Dickson, a native of New York, in 1881. She died in June, 
1884, aged thirty-one, leaving no children. Mr. Rice married again in 1888. His bride 
was Miss Ida Smith, of Sparta, Wisconsin, and the wedding took place on the 8th of 
September. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are the parents of four children: George, Florence, 
Harold and Mary.