John Rice
Order50th
Ambassador fromUnited States
Countrythe Netherlands
Term startMay 6, 1961
Term endMay 27, 1964
PredecessorPhilip Young
SuccessorWilliam Tyler
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Office 2Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Term start 2September 17, 1965
Term end 2June 21, 1966
Predecessor 2Otis Morse
Successor 2Thomas Z. Minehart
Term start 3July 23, 1959[1]
Term end 3May 6, 1961
Predecessor 3Joe Barr
Successor 3Otis Morse
Office 4Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Term start 4June 10, 1958[2]
Term end 4May 6, 1961
Governor 4George Leader
David Lawrence
Preceded 4James Finnegan
Succeeded 4James Trimarchi, Jr.
Office 5Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Property and Supplies
Term start 5December 31, 1955[3]
Term end 5July 18, 1957[4]
Predecessor 5William Thomas
Successor 5Kenneth Haldeman
Governor 5George Leader
Office 6Member of the Pennsylvania
Liquor Control Board
Term start 6February 8, 1955
Term end 6December 31, 1955
Predecessor 6New Appointment
Successor 6A.D. Cohn
Appointer 6George Leader
Office 7President pro tempore
of the Pennsylvania Senate
Term start 7January 3, 1939
Term end 7November 30, 1940
Predecessor 7Harvey Huffman
Successor 7Frederick Gelder
Order 8Democratic Leader
of the Pennsylvania Senate
Term start 8April 14, 1937[5][6]
Term end 8November 30, 1938
Predecessor 8Warren Roberts
Successor 8John Dent
State senate 9Pennsylvania
District 933rd
Term start 9January 3, 1933[7]
Term end 9November 30, 1940
Preceded 9Charles Clippinger
Succeeded 9Paul Crider
Birth dateJanuary 28, 1899[8]
Death dateAugust 2, 1985 (aged 86)
Birth placeBrysonia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death placeFort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
PartyDemocrat
SpouseLuene Rogers Rice
Alma materGettysburg College
OccupationPolitician, farmer, businessman

John Stanley Rice (January 28, 1899 – August 2, 1985) was an American Democratic politician, farmer and businessman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Rice served in a variety of appointed and elected political roles over the course of a three-decade political career.[8]

Background

A native of Brysonia, a small town several miles north of Gettysburg, Rice graduated from Gettysburg College. He became a successful apple grower, and went on to manufacture packaged apple products. He often returned to this business between political appointments. Rice was a Lutheran.

Political career

Rice was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1932.[9] He was elected Democratic floor leader in 1937, following the resignation of Warren Roberts, who took office as State Auditor General.[6] He was elected the Senate's President pro tempore in 1939.

In 1946, he was the Democratic nominee for governor, but lost to Republican State Attorney General James Duff.

Gubernatorial appointments

In 1955, Governor George Leader named Rice to the first round of appointments to the overhauled Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. He resigned from the board later that year, when Leader appointed him Secretary of the Department of Property and Supplies (now the Department of General Services).

After resigning from the cabinet in 1957, he returned to his apple farm and packaging business.[4] However, in 1958, Leader again appointed Rice to a position in his cabinet, having him succeed the deceased James Finnegan as Secretary of the Commonwealth.[2] Rice was also elected chair of the State Democratic Party in 1959.

In 1961, Rice received his final political appointment, when President Kennedy named him U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands. He stepped-down from the position three years later. He returned to his former position of state party chair in 1965 following the resignation of Otis Morse.[10] He did not seek reelection in 1966.[11]

Death and legacy

Rice died in Fort Lauderdale in August 1985.[8]

Rice Hall, on the campus of Gettysburg College, is named in his honor.[12] He had served as a trustee of the college from 1939 until 1972, when he retired to Fort Lauderdale.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Mention Rice For Barr Post". The Gettysburg Times. July 9, 1959. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  2. ^ "Rice Returns To Place In State Cabinet". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 9, 1958. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "Cohn Succeeds Rice On Liquor Control Board". The Gettysburg Times. December 28, 1955. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. ^ "Head of State Agency Resigns". The Washington Reporter. August 1, 1957. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  5. ^ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1937-1938". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  6. ^ "Threat Seen To Milk Bill". The Reading Eagle. April 26, 1937. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  7. ^ Sharon Trostle (ed.) (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 119. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 978-0-8182-0334-3.
  8. ^ "John S. Rice, A Former Envoy". The New York Times. August 4, 1985. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  9. ^ Cox, Harold. "Senate Members R". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  10. ^ "Democratic Leaders Pick Rice For Post of State Chairman". Reading Eagle. September 17, 1965. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Shapp's Man Is Soundly Beaten For Chairmanship". Gettysburg Times. June 22, 1966. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Housing Details: Rice Hall". Gettysburg College Residence Life. Gettysburg College. Retrieved January 12, 2012.