For part of this time he oversaw the emigration of Church members from Britain to the United States.

Rich also wrote the novel Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City: That Mormon.

In 1908, he was assigned to the Eastern States Mission, serving there as its president until the time of his death in 1913.

As mission president in these areas, he was at the forefront of evangelizing the LDS Church during the Reed Smoot hearings and was involved in several highly publicized debates with leading Protestant preachers, most notably his debate with A.

Rich also authored a number of missionary tracts, often drawing on his experience with opposition to the Church, including calls often made by Protestant ministers to forcibly drive out the missionaries.