John Campbell Rice (January 27, 1864 – November 7, 1937) was an American attorney and judge. He was a justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and served as chief justice from 1922 to 1923.
Early life and education
Rice was born January 27, 1864, in Cass County, Illinois, to parents Elbert G. and Mary Ann (Camp) Rice. The eighth of eleven children, Rice attended public school in Cass County. He later attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, receiving an A.B. degree in 1885.
By 1891. Rice had moved west to Caldwell, Idaho, and entered into law practice with a Cornell University classmate, John T. Morrison.[4] In 1892, Rice helped to organize the College of Idaho, teaching classes and serving as a trustee, and helped to organize the Caldwell Commercial Bank in 1894, and he served as bank president.[5] He served in the Idaho Legislature for one two-year term, 1897 to 1899, and Rice was elected mayor of Caldwell for a one-year term in 1901.[2]
Rice was elected to a six-year term on the Idaho Supreme Court in 1917. He served as chief justice 1922–1923. In 1931, Rice became a judge in Idaho's 7th Judicial District and continued in that office until his death in 1937.[5]
Family
Rice married Maude M. Beshears (October 18, 1876 – July 1, 1923) in Caldwell in 1895.[6][7] The family included five children.
Death
Rice died of a heart attack in 1937 at age 73 while walking home from church on November 7; he was survived by his five children.[5][8]
