Benjamin F. Rice

Benjamin Franklin Rice
United States Senator
from Arkansas
In office
June 23, 1868 – March 3, 1873
Preceded by Charles B. Mitchel
Succeeded by Stephen W. Dorsey
Personal details
Born May 26, 1828
East Otto, New York
Died January 19, 1905 (aged 76)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Political party Republican

Benjamin Franklin Rice (May 26, 1828 – January 19, 1905) was a Republican politician from Arkansas who represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1868 to 1873.

Biography

Rice was born in East Otto, New York, on May 26, 1828; his schooling was private. He studied law, and upon his admission to the bar began practice in Irvine, Kentucky, in which state's house of representatives he served from 1855 to 1856. In 1856 he served as a presidential elector for the Republican ticket; in 1860 he moved to Minnesota, where he began service as a Union captain during the Civil War. Eventually he gained promotion to the rank of major in position of judge advocate with the 3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

In 1864 Rice settled in Little Rock, Arkansas and resumed his law practice. He was active in organizing the Republican Party in the state, and was appointed the chair of a committee which in 1868 prepared the state's code of practice. Upon readmission of Arkansas to the Union, Rice was elected to the Senate, serving from 1868 to 1873 and holding at one point the chairmanship of the Committee on Mines and Mining.

On returning home, Rice resumed his law practice; he moved to Colorado for health reasons in 1875, then back to Washington, D.C. in 1882, where he continued his practice until his death. He died in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 19, 1905, and was buried Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa.

References

United States Senate
Preceded by
Vacant1
(American Civil War)		 U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Arkansas
June 23, 1868 – March 3, 1873
Served alongside: Alexander McDonald		 Succeeded by
Stephen Wallace Dorsey
Notes and references
1. Because of Arkansas' secession from the Union, the seat remained vacant from 1861–1868 when Charles B. Mitchel was expelled from the Senate.