John Blake Rice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John B. Rice
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district
In office March 4, 1873 – December 17, 1874
Preceded by	Charles B. Farwell
Succeeded by	Bernard G. Caulfield
24th Mayor of Chicago
In office May 3, 1865 – December 6, 1869
Preceded by	Francis Cornwall Sherman
Succeeded by	Roswell B. Mason
Personal details
Born	(1809-05-28)May 28, 1809 Easton, Maryland
Died	December 17, 1874(1874-12-17) (aged 65) Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Ann Warren
Residences	Chicago, Illinois
Signature

John Blake Rice (born May 28, 1809 – died December 17, 1874) was an American actor and a person who managed theaters. He also became a politician. He served as the Mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1865 to 1869. He was a member of the Republican Party.

John B. Rice: Actor, Mayor, and Politician

Early Life and His Acting Career

John Rice was born in Easton, Maryland. He started acting in Annapolis in 1829. His first professional acting job was in a play called The London Merchant. He traveled a lot, performing along the East Coast of the United States. He also performed in the West Indies.

While living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he married into a family that worked in theater. By 1839, he moved his family to Buffalo, New York. There, he managed a theater during the summer months. In the winter, he managed another theater in Albany.

Rice came to Chicago in 1847. He worked as an actor and entertained politicians at a big meeting called the River and Harbor Convention. This was Chicago's first national meeting. He decided to stay in Chicago and open his own theater, which he named Rice's Theater.

On July 30, 1850, a fire broke out in his theater. This happened during an opera called La Sonnambula. Rice tried to calm the audience, but the theater was destroyed. He lost about $4,000. After a special event only raised $60 to help him, he left Chicago for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rice returned to Chicago in 1851. He built a new theater, this time made entirely of brick. He hired James McVicker to manage it. Rice was very involved with this theater until 1857.

Becoming Mayor of Chicago

In 1865, near the end of the Civil War, John Rice decided to run for mayor of Chicago. He ran as a very traditional Republican. He won the election easily. This was partly because the war had just ended. Also, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just days before the election.

Rice officially became mayor on May 3, 1865.

As mayor, Rice did not support workers' rights very much. He said "no" to a plan that would have made an eight-hour work day the law. This decision led to a big protest by workers on May 1, 1867. This protest later became known as May Day around the world. The City Council, which is like the city's government, eventually voted to overrule his decision.

Rice was reelected in 1867.

He tried to get elected for a third term in 1869, but he lost. Roswell B. Mason became the new mayor. Rice's time as mayor ended on December 6, 1869.

Serving in Congress

Rice's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

In 1872, Rice was elected to represent Illinois's 1st congressional district. This meant he became a member of the United States House of Representatives. While serving in the House, he became very ill. He died from liver cancer on December 17, 1874. He passed away in Norfolk, Virginia.

Rice had been sick for some time, even before he was elected to Congress. He was survived by his wife and five daughters. He had not planned to run for reelection in 1874. Because he died soon after the election, there was a question about whether the Illinois Governor John Lourie Beveridge needed to appoint someone to finish his term. In the end, Bernard G. Caulfield won a special election to complete the term. Caulfield had already been elected to take Rice's place after his term ended. John Rice was buried in Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery.

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)