Richard H. Rice
Encyclopedia
Richard Henry Rice was an American mechanical engineer and inventor who is known for many patents related to improvements to the Corliss steam engine
, and his partnership in founding the Rice & Sargent Engine Company of Providence, Rhode Island
.
to Albert Smith Rice and Frances Weston (Baker) Rice. He received his Masters of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology
in 1885. He was first married on 6 April 1887 to Mary Sue Durgin, daughter of William B. Durgin, a silversmith and clock-maker from Concord, New Hampshire
, and they had three children. After the 1897 death of his first wife, Rice married Alice Woodman Kimball of New York 26 March 1898.
. From 1885-1886 he was a special apprentice at the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
shops in Dennison, Ohio
. From 1886-1887 he was a designer of marine engines at the Bath Iron Works
in Bath, Maine
. From 1887-1891 Rice lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts
where he was the a designer and chief draftsman for the E.D. Levitt Company in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, and from 1891-1894 he was the superintendent engineer at the William A. Harris Steam Engine Company in Providence, Rhode Island
. In 1894, he was an incorporating officer in the Rice & Sargent Engine Company, and he served as treasurer of the company. Rice and Sargent steam engines were used extensively for power plants in manufacturing companies from the mid-1890s to the 1930s. Rice was also an owner of the Providence Engineering Works, also in Providence. Starting in 1903 he was a consultant on steam engineering and in charge of turbine development at the General Electric Company in Lynn, Massachusetts
. In recognition of over 50 patents relating to steam, air and water apparati, he received an honorary Ph.D. in Engineering from the Stevens Institute in 1921. He died a year later on 10 February 1922 in Bolton, New York
.
and steam turbine technology. Some of his most significant patents are as follows:
, an English immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony
, as follows:
Corliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss in Providence, Rhode Island....
, and his partnership in founding the Rice & Sargent Engine Company of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
Early life and family
Richard Henry Rice was born 9 January 1863 in Rockland, MaineRockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
to Albert Smith Rice and Frances Weston (Baker) Rice. He received his Masters of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
in 1885. He was first married on 6 April 1887 to Mary Sue Durgin, daughter of William B. Durgin, a silversmith and clock-maker from Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, and they had three children. After the 1897 death of his first wife, Rice married Alice Woodman Kimball of New York 26 March 1898.
Engineering career
Rice began his engineering career in 1885 heading the testing laboratory at Stevens InstituteStevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
. From 1885-1886 he was a special apprentice at the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route , was a railroad forming part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia...
shops in Dennison, Ohio
Dennison, Ohio
Dennison is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,992 at the 2000 census, while the 2006 Census Bureau estimate listed a population of 2,908.- History :...
. From 1886-1887 he was a designer of marine engines at the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
in Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
. From 1887-1891 Rice lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
where he was the a designer and chief draftsman for the E.D. Levitt Company in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, and from 1891-1894 he was the superintendent engineer at the William A. Harris Steam Engine Company in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. In 1894, he was an incorporating officer in the Rice & Sargent Engine Company, and he served as treasurer of the company. Rice and Sargent steam engines were used extensively for power plants in manufacturing companies from the mid-1890s to the 1930s. Rice was also an owner of the Providence Engineering Works, also in Providence. Starting in 1903 he was a consultant on steam engineering and in charge of turbine development at the General Electric Company in Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. In recognition of over 50 patents relating to steam, air and water apparati, he received an honorary Ph.D. in Engineering from the Stevens Institute in 1921. He died a year later on 10 February 1922 in Bolton, New York
Bolton, New York
Bolton is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. Bolton is on the east border of the county.- History :...
.
Selected patents
During his career Rice received over 50 U.S. and international patents, mostly for improvements to the Corliss steam engineCorliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss in Providence, Rhode Island....
and steam turbine technology. Some of his most significant patents are as follows:
- Cut-Off Valve Gear, April 19, 1892
- Valve Gear, September 18, 1894.
- Vacuum Activated Dash Pot, April 27, 1895
- Stop-Motion for Governors May 21, 1895
- Stop-Motion for Governors, May 19, 1895
- Cylindrical Rotary Valve, November 17, 1896
- Steam Activated Dash Pot for Engines, May 16, 1898
- Valve-Gear for Steam Engines, August 25, 1903.
- Step Bearing, November 14, 1905
- Portable Fire Engine Pump, May 17, 1910.
- Valve Gear, June 29, 1917
- Maneuvering Valve for Ship Engines, January 30, 1919
- Bearing Shaft Seal Assembly, March 23, 1918
Genealogy
Richard Henry 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:
- Richard Henry Rice, son of
- Albert Smith Rice (1837 – ?), son of
- Richard D. Rice (1810 – ?), son of
-
-
- Nathan Drury Rice (1784 – ?), son of
- James Rice (1758 – 1829),, son of
- Richard Rice (1730 – 1793), son of
- Ezekiel Rice (1700 – ?), son of
-
- Jonathan Rice (1654 – 1725), son of
- Henry Rice (1617 – 1711)
-
- 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
-