Wallace Rice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wallace Rice
|
|
|---|---|
Rice in 1911
|
|
| Born |
Wallace deGroot Cecil Rice
10 November 1859 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
|
| Died | 15 December 1939 (aged 80) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1885–1935 |
| Known for | Designing the flag of Chicago |
| Spouse(s) |
Minnie (Hale) Angier
(m. 1889, divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Wallace deGroot Cecil Rice (born November 10, 1859 – died December 15, 1939) was an American writer and a flag designer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Who Was Wallace Rice?
Wallace Rice is best known for creating the design of the Chicago flag. This flag is a famous symbol of the city. He was also a talented writer, poet, and editor.
Early Life and Education
Wallace Rice was born on November 10, 1859. His parents, John Asaph Rice and Margaret Van Slyke (Culver) Rice, were staying in Canada at the time. His father, John Asaph Rice, was a hotel owner in Chicago. He owned the Tremont House and was part-owner of the Sherman House Hotel. John Asaph Rice was also known for collecting rare books and historical items.
As a boy, Wallace went to grammar school at Racine College. Later, he studied at Harvard University and finished his degree in 1883. In 1884, he became a lawyer in Chicago. On August 8, 1889, he married Minnie (Hale) Angier in Chicago, Illinois. They had two sons, John and Benjamin.
A Creative Mind
Wallace Rice worked as a newspaper writer in Chicago. He wrote for the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Herald American. He also helped edit books for different publishing companies in Chicago.
In 1917, he designed the official flag for the city of Chicago. This flag is still used today and is very well-known. Wallace Rice also collected many stories and funny tales from newspapers across the country. He worked with the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow on a book called Infidels and Heretics, published in 1929.
Besides his newspaper work, Rice wrote historical plays and shows. He created one to celebrate Illinois' 100th birthday and another for the 50th birthday of Birmingham, Alabama. He also wrote many poems and essays. Wallace Rice passed away in Chicago on December 15, 1939.
Family History
Wallace deGroot Cecil Rice came from a long line of ancestors. He was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice. Edmund Rice was one of the first settlers to arrive in the Massachusetts Bay Colony a very long time ago.
