Ira Albert Rice (September 17, 1812 – March 23, 1887) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer.
As a pioneer settler, Rice constructed the first bridge over the Fox River in western Racine County.
With the assistance of Arad Wells, he plowed the first farmland in the township, planting a crop of red clover.
[6] The move was met with outrage by the Racine County Republican establishment, declaring Rice a traitor and outcast.
[7] With Democratic support and a sufficient number of his Republican friends, Rice prevailed in the general election by 82 votes over Coffin.
[3] His primary occupation remained his farming interests, but he would occasionally take clients as a lawyer in his later years.
[2] John T. Rice served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War with the 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.