C. Allen Thorndike Rice
Encyclopedia
Charles Allen Thorndike Rice (1851–1889) was a journalist and the editor and publisher of the North American Review
from 1876 to 1889.
. In retaliation, Elizabeth Thorndike Rice arranged for a kidnapping of Charlie in the summer of 1860 when he was in Nahant, Massachusetts
. The kidnapping was witnessed by nine-year-old Charlie's school mate, Henry Cabot Lodge
, who testified to the authorities leading to the capture of the kidnappers. However, Elizabeth was able to escape to Canada with Charlie disguised as a girl. They eventually moved to France and Germany and resided there for several years. In 1866, Rice's mother Elizabeth died and he was able to rejoin his father in Boston. In 1869, Rice's father Henry died and he returned to Europe for his education. He graduated from University of Oxford
with a BA degree in 1874, and earned his MA degree there in 1878. He was never married.
for $3000, and he established himself as the publisher and editor-in-chief. The magazine provided an outlet for his interest in writing, as he was a frequent contributor. In 1879, he became interested in international exploration, so he contributed funds to enable the Charnay
Expedition to explore and photograph Mayan
ruins in Mexico
and Guatemala
. On the return of the expedition, Rice wrote an account in 1880 entitled Ruined Cities of Central America that publicized and popularized the effort. That year he was awarded the Chevalier de Légion d'honneur
by French President Jules Grévy
.
Rice ran as a Republican
in the election of 1886 against General Francis Barretto Spinola
for New York's 10th congressional district
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He lost the race and he subsequently alleged electoral fraud in the process. Rice then dedicated himself to the cause of promoting the use of the secret ballot
in the United States. In 1889, he was appointed as Minister to Russia by President Benjamin Harrison
but he died at a hotel in New York City on 16 May 1889 prior to assuming his post.
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
, as follows:
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
from 1876 to 1889.
Early life and family
C. Allen Thorndike Rice was born 18 June 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts as the only son of Henry Gardner Rice (1820–1869), from a Boston publishing family, and Elizabeth Frances (Thorndike) Rice, from a New York publishing family. Rice (known as Charles or Charlie as a child) grew up in the Beacon Hill section of Boston and Baltimore, Maryland, but his parents divorced in 1859, and a child custody dispute ensued. Custody was eventually awarded to his father by a Maryland Court and upheld by way of a 1 August 1860 decision by Justice George Bigelow of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
. In retaliation, Elizabeth Thorndike Rice arranged for a kidnapping of Charlie in the summer of 1860 when he was in Nahant, Massachusetts
Nahant, Massachusetts
Nahant is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. With just of land area, it is the smallest municipality by area in the state...
. The kidnapping was witnessed by nine-year-old Charlie's school mate, Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot "Slim" Lodge was an American Republican Senator and historian from Massachusetts. He had the role of Senate Majority leader. He is best known for his positions on Meek policy, especially his battle with President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 over the Treaty of Versailles...
, who testified to the authorities leading to the capture of the kidnappers. However, Elizabeth was able to escape to Canada with Charlie disguised as a girl. They eventually moved to France and Germany and resided there for several years. In 1866, Rice's mother Elizabeth died and he was able to rejoin his father in Boston. In 1869, Rice's father Henry died and he returned to Europe for his education. He graduated from University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
with a BA degree in 1874, and earned his MA degree there in 1878. He was never married.
Professional career
C. Allen Thorndike Rice (known as Allen in later life) began his career in 1876 when he purchased the North American ReviewNorth American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
for $3000, and he established himself as the publisher and editor-in-chief. The magazine provided an outlet for his interest in writing, as he was a frequent contributor. In 1879, he became interested in international exploration, so he contributed funds to enable the Charnay
Désiré Charnay
Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay was a French traveller and archaeologist notable both for his explorations of Mexico and Central America, and for the pioneering use of photography to document his discoveries....
Expedition to explore and photograph Mayan
Maya city
A Maya city was a centre of population of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. It served the specialised roles of administration, commerce, manufacturing and religion that characterised ancient cities worldwide...
ruins in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. On the return of the expedition, Rice wrote an account in 1880 entitled Ruined Cities of Central America that publicized and popularized the effort. That year he was awarded the Chevalier de Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
by French President Jules Grévy
Jules Grévy
François Paul Jules Grévy was a President of the French Third Republic and one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans faction. Given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Grévy is seen as the first real republican President of...
.
Rice ran as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the election of 1886 against General Francis Barretto Spinola
Francis Barretto Spinola
Francis Barretto Spinola was the first Portuguese American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving as a representative from New York from 1887 to 1891...
for New York's 10th congressional district
New York's 10th congressional district
New York's 10th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Brooklyn, New York City. It includes the neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York and Ocean Hill, as well as parts of Fort...
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He lost the race and he subsequently alleged electoral fraud in the process. Rice then dedicated himself to the cause of promoting the use of the secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
in the United States. In 1889, he was appointed as Minister to Russia by President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
but he died at a hotel in New York City on 16 May 1889 prior to assuming his post.
Selected publications
- Rice, Allen Thorndike. 1880. Ruined Cities of Central America North American Review. 131:89-108.
- Rice, Allen Thorndike. 1886. Recent Reforms in Balloting. North American Review 143:628–43.
- Rice, Allen Thorndike (ed.). 1888. Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Distinguished Men of His Time. The North American Review Publishing Company, New York.
Genealogy
Charles Allen Thorndike Rice was a direct descendant of Edmund RiceEdmund Rice (1638)
Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
, as follows:
- Charles Allen Thorndike Rice, son of
- Henry Gardner Rice (ca1820 – 1869), son of
-
-
- Henry Gardner Rice (1784 – 1853), son of
- Dr. Tilly Rice (1756 – 1824), son of
- Capt. Tilly Rice (1724 – 1803), son of
-
- Obadiah Rice (1698 – ?), son of
- Jacob Rice (1660 – 1746), son of
- Edward Rice (1622 – 1711), son of
-
- Edmund RiceEdmund Rice (1638)Edmund Rice , was an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony who was born in Suffolk, England, and lived in Stanstead, Suffolk and Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire prior to sailing with his family to America. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in summer or fall of 1638, presumed to be first...
(1594 – 1663)
- Edmund Rice
-