Caleb Rice (1792–1873) was an American politician and businessman. He was the first Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, when it became a city in 1852, and the first president of MassMutual Life Insurance Company, now a Fortune 100 company.[4]
Caleb Rice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts | |
| In office 1852–1853 | |
| Preceded by | Board of Selectmen |
| Succeeded by | Philos B. Tyler |
| 3rd[1] Sheriff of Hampden County, Massachusetts | |
| In office 1831–1851 | |
| Preceded by | John Phelps[2] |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Boies[2] |
| Member of the Board of Selectmen of West Springfield, Massachusetts[3] | |
| In office 1826[3]–1830[3] | |
| 1st President of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company[4] | |
| In office June 1851 – March 1, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | E. W. Bond[4] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 4, 1792 Conway, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 1, 1873 (aged 80) |
| Spouse | Marietta Parsons Rice (m. 1826) |
| Children | Joseph Rice (1828–1831); Benjamin Stebbins Rice (1829–1831); Elizabeth D. Rice (b. 1835) |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Profession | Attorney, businessman |
| Signature |  |
Early years
editCaleb Rice was born on April 4, 1792, in Conway, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph Rice and Betty (Dickerson) Rice. Rice married Marietta P. Parsons, daughter of Israel Parsons, in 1826.
Career
editRice served as the first Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, when it became a city in 1852, and he was also the first president of MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Rice also served as the third Sheriff of Hampden County, Massachusetts, and on the Board of Selectmen of West Springfield, Massachusetts,[3] Additionally, Rice served for five years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Springfield.[5] He died March 1, 1873.
Genealogy and family relations
editRice was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony as follows:[6]
- Caleb Rice, son of
- Joseph Rice (1768-1823), son of
- Israel Rice (1742-1833), son of
- Joseph Rice (1712-1789), son of
- Phineas Rice (1682-1768), son of
- Joseph Rice (1638-1711), son of
- Edmund Rice (circa 1594–1663)
- Joseph Rice (1638-1711), son of
- Phineas Rice (1682-1768), son of
- Joseph Rice (1712-1789), son of
- Israel Rice (1742-1833), son of
- Joseph Rice (1768-1823), son of
References
edit- ^ Cutter, William Richard (1916), Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, Biographical—Genealogical, Volume IV, New York, N. Y., Boston, Ma: American Historical Society (Inc.), p. 53
- ^ a b Davis, William Thomas (1895), Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume II, Boston, Ma: The Boston History Company, p. 169
- ^ a b c d Copeland, Alfred Minott (1902), Our County and Its People: A History of Hampden County Massachusetts, Volume 3, Boston, Ma: The Century Memorial Publishing Company, p. 222
- ^ a b c Putnam, Henry H. (April 1903), The New England magazine, vol. XXVIII, Boston, Ma: America Company, p. 209
- ^ Ward, Andrew Henshaw. 1858. A genealogical History of the Rice Family: Descendants of Deacon Edmund Rice, Boston: C. Benjamin Richardson, Publisher. 379pp. Download PDF
- ^ Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2010. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations. (CD-ROM)