William North Rice
Encyclopedia
William North Rice was an American
geologist, educator, and Methodist minister and theologian concerned with reconciliation of science and religious faith.
to William Rice and Caroline Laura (North) Rice. He prepared for college at Springfield High School in Springfield, Massachusetts
, and graduated in 1865 with a bachelors degree from Wesleyan University
in Middletown, Connecticut
, serving as class valedictorian. His interest in religious ministry began early with an invitation to preach at Grace Church in Boston
shortly after his graduation in 1865. In 1867 after studies at the Sheffield Scientific School
of Yale College
, he earned the first Ph.D.
in the United States to be awarded in the field of Geology
. Upon graduation from Yale, he was offered a faculty position at Wesleyan College, but he opted to undertake post-doctoral studies in Germany for a year at the renowned Institute of Natural History
established by Alexander von Humboldt
(1769–1859) at the University of Berlin. Later in 1886, he earned a doctor of laws (LL.D.) degree at Syracuse University
.
beginning in 1868. Early in his career he was ordained as a minister, joining the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church
. During the early 1870s, Rice undertook zoological research work with Spencer Baird at the newly established laboratory of the United States Fish Commission
at Woods Hole, Massachusetts
. Later in the winter 1876 to 1877, he was part of a major geological and zoological expedition to Bermuda, one of the first expeditions of its type undertaken by American scientists.
In the early 1880s, Rice took an interest in the geology of Europe, traveling for research activities there in 1881 and 1884. He continued further work with European colleagues in an extended trip to Germany from 1892 to 1893, and in later to France in 1900. Beginning in 1891, Rice took an active interest in the geology of the American West, traveling to Yellowstone National Park
and other Rocky Mountain locations as part of an international geological expedition. Later in 1904, he conducted research in the Grand Canyon
and Mexico
, and later in that decade he traveled to Alaska
to study the glaciers of Yakutat Bay
.
Rice served as an assistant geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, mapping the geological features of Connecticut. Later from 1903 to 1918, he served as Superintendent of the State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut.
In addition to his scientific studies, Rice took a keen interest in issues of science and religion. He was a lecturer on the relations of religion and science at the Hamilton Theological Seminary at Colgate University
between 1897 and 1900. Throughout his career he wrote a number of landmark articles and books on the reconciliation of science with religious faith.
Rice was active as an officer within scientific societies. In 1891, he served as the president of the American Society of Naturalists
. Later, from 1905 to 1906, he served as the vice president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, while concurrently serving as the chairman of the Geological Sciences division of that organization. Rice was also active in his local community by serving as a member of the Middletown Board of Education from 1884 to 1891; presiding over the board from 1885 to 1891. Later, from 1902 to 1905, he served as the president of the statewide Connecticut Council of Education.
Rice served as acting president of Wesleyan University on three occasions in 1907, from 1908 to 1909, and again in 1918. Shortly after his last stint as acting president in 1918, he retired from teaching, but continued much of his research and academic work as an emeritus professor. Later in his retirement, he moved to Delaware, Ohio
to live with his son and his family. He died November 13, 1928 in Delaware, Ohio
.
was born on March 18, 1871, and later became a professor of zoology
at Ohio Wesleyan University
. Charles William Rice was born on September 19, 1879 but died at three years of age.
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
, as follows:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geologist, educator, and Methodist minister and theologian concerned with reconciliation of science and religious faith.
Early life and education
William North Rice was born November 21, 1845 in Marblehead, MassachusettsMarblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
to William Rice and Caroline Laura (North) Rice. He prepared for college at Springfield High School in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and graduated in 1865 with a bachelors degree from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, serving as class valedictorian. His interest in religious ministry began early with an invitation to preach at Grace Church in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
shortly after his graduation in 1865. In 1867 after studies at the Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, the railroad executive. The school was...
of Yale College
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, he earned the first Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in the United States to be awarded in the field of Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. Upon graduation from Yale, he was offered a faculty position at Wesleyan College, but he opted to undertake post-doctoral studies in Germany for a year at the renowned Institute of Natural History
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
established by Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
(1769–1859) at the University of Berlin. Later in 1886, he earned a doctor of laws (LL.D.) degree at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Academic career
Rice served as professor of geology and natural history at WesleyanWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
beginning in 1868. Early in his career he was ordained as a minister, joining the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
. During the early 1870s, Rice undertook zoological research work with Spencer Baird at the newly established laboratory of the United States Fish Commission
United States Fish Commission
The United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries was established on February 9, 1871 , as an independent commission with a mandate to investigate the causes for the decrease of commercial fish and aquatic animals in U.S...
at Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands...
. Later in the winter 1876 to 1877, he was part of a major geological and zoological expedition to Bermuda, one of the first expeditions of its type undertaken by American scientists.
In the early 1880s, Rice took an interest in the geology of Europe, traveling for research activities there in 1881 and 1884. He continued further work with European colleagues in an extended trip to Germany from 1892 to 1893, and in later to France in 1900. Beginning in 1891, Rice took an active interest in the geology of the American West, traveling to Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
and other Rocky Mountain locations as part of an international geological expedition. Later in 1904, he conducted research in the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
and 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 later in that decade he traveled to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to study the glaciers of Yakutat Bay
Yakutat Bay
Yakutat Bay is a 29-km-wide bay in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending southwest from Disenchantment Bay to the Gulf of Alaska. "Yakutat" is a Tlingit name reported as "Jacootat" and "Yacootat" by Yuri Lisianski in 1805....
.
Rice served as an assistant geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, mapping the geological features of Connecticut. Later from 1903 to 1918, he served as Superintendent of the State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut.
In addition to his scientific studies, Rice took a keen interest in issues of science and religion. He was a lecturer on the relations of religion and science at the Hamilton Theological Seminary at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
between 1897 and 1900. Throughout his career he wrote a number of landmark articles and books on the reconciliation of science with religious faith.
Rice was active as an officer within scientific societies. In 1891, he served as the president of the American Society of Naturalists
American Society of Naturalists
The American Society of Naturalists was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest professional societies dedicated to the biological sciences in North America...
. Later, from 1905 to 1906, he served as the vice president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, while concurrently serving as the chairman of the Geological Sciences division of that organization. Rice was also active in his local community by serving as a member of the Middletown Board of Education from 1884 to 1891; presiding over the board from 1885 to 1891. Later, from 1902 to 1905, he served as the president of the statewide Connecticut Council of Education.
Rice served as acting president of Wesleyan University on three occasions in 1907, from 1908 to 1909, and again in 1918. Shortly after his last stint as acting president in 1918, he retired from teaching, but continued much of his research and academic work as an emeritus professor. Later in his retirement, he moved to Delaware, Ohio
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
to live with his son and his family. He died November 13, 1928 in Delaware, Ohio
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
.
Family life
On April 12, 1870, Rice married Elizabeth Wing Crowell, daughter of Loranus Crowell, an official within the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They had two children. Edward Loranus RiceEdward Loranus Rice
Edward Loranus Rice was a biologist and educator who served as the acting president of Ohio Wesleyan University. He was best known for his 1924 debate with William Jennings Bryan on the topic of biological evolution and serving as a scientific consultant to Clarence Darrow before the 1925 Scopes...
was born on March 18, 1871, and later became a professor of zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
. Charles William Rice was born on September 19, 1879 but died at three years of age.
Selected publications
- Geology of Bermuda (1884)
- Science Teaching in the Schools (1889)
- Twenty-five Years of Scientific Progress and Other Essays (1894)
- Christian Faith in an Age of Science (1903; second edition, 1904) ISBN 9780548152256
- Manual of the Geology of Connecticut (1906), with H. E. Gregory
- Yakutat Bay (1914)
- The Return of Faith and Other Addresses (1916) ISBN 9780548736623
- The Poet of Science and Other Addresses (1919) ISBN 9781437295764
- Science and Religion: Five So-Called Conflicts (1925)
- Guide to the Geology of Middletown, Connecticut and Vicinity (1927) Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Survey.
Genealogy
William North 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:
- William North Rice, son of
- William Rice (1821 – ca1890), son of
-
-
- William Rice (1788 – 1863), son of
- Nathan Rice (1760 – 1838), son of
- John Rice (1704 – 1771), son of
-
- Ephriam Rice (1665 – 1732), son of
- Thomas Rice (1625 – 1681), 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
-