Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/263

Rh ber of the legislature, and served as chairman of the committee on schools. In 1867 he induced the legislature to abolish rates, making all the schools free. During his first term as superintendent he collected and" collated the statutes relating to pub- lic instruction, and published them by legislative authority under the title of "Code of Public In- struction " (Albany, 1856). He published a "Spe- cial Report on the Present State of Education in the I'niird States and Other Countries "(Albany, 18(57).

RICE, William North, educator, b. in Marble- head, Mass., 21 Nov., 1845. He was graduated at Wesleyan in 1865, and then, devoting himself to the pursuit of natural history, studied at the Shef- field scientific school of Yale, and in two years re- ceived the degree of Ph. D. In 1867 he was ap- pointed professor of natural history and geology in Wesleyan, and after spending the first year on leave of absence, studying at the University of Ber- lin, he continued in the possession of that chair until 1884, when he became professor of geology in the same institution. He is a regularly ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a member of the East New York conference, al though he has never filled a pastorate. Prof. Rice has spent two of his summers in zoological work with the U. S. fish commission at Portland. Me., and at Noank, Conn., and was engaged in geo- logical and zoological investigations in the Ber- muda islands during the winter of 1876-'7. He is a fellow of the American association for the ad- vancement of science, and a member of other sci- entific societies, and in 1886 received the degree of LL. D. from Syracuse university. Prof. Rice ha* published articles in scientific, religious, and other periodicals, chiefly on points in geology and its cog- nate sciences, and on the relations of science and religion. His works include " Twenty-five Years of Scientific Progress" (New York, 1894), and he has edited Dana's " Text-Book of Geology " (1897).

RICH, Charles Alouzo, architect, b. in Bever- ly, Mass., 22 Oct., 1855. He was graduated at the Chandler scientific department of Dartmouth in 1875, and subsequently devoted his attention to tin- study of architecture, spending 1879-'80 in Europe for that purpose. On his return he settled in New York, and became professionally associated with Ilir^li Lamb. The firm lias gained a good reputa- tion among those who stand high in the recent de- velopment of American architecture. Among the great number of buildings that they have designed are the Mount Morris bank in Harlem, the upper part of which is used for apartments, the Astral flats in Greenpoint, the Pratt industrial institute, Brooklyn, and the East Orange opera-house, as well as many private residences in New York city.

RICH, Isaac, merchant, b. in Wellfleet, Barn- stable co., Mass., in 1801 ; d. in Boston, Mass., 13 Jan., 1872. He was of humble parentage, at the age of fourteen assisted his father in the care of a fish-stall in Boston, and afterward had an oyster- stall in Faneuil hall. In the course of years he be- came a successful fish-merchant, and subsequently a millionaire, gave largely to educational and chari- table institutions, and, in addition to numerous be- quests, left the greater part of his .-state, appraised at 11,700,000, to the trustees of the Boston Wes- leyan university.

'''RICH. Obadiah'''. bibliophile, b. in Truro, Mass., 25 Nov., 1777; d. in London. England, 20 Jan., IN'iii. He went to Spain in early years, served as U. S. consul in Valencia from 1816 till 1820. re- siding at Madrid, and a? consul in Port Mahon from 1834 till 1835. He gathered a large collec- tion of rare books and manuscripts relating to the early settlement and history of America, which he took to London, and constantly gave the benefit of liis time and scholarship to authors and collectors. He compiled many valuable catalogues, which com- mand high prices, and are of service to the his- torian and bibliophile. Among these are "A Cata- logue of Books relating principally to America, arranged under the Years in which they were Print- ed, 1500-1700" (London, 1832); " Catalogue of Mis- cellaneous Books in all Languages" (1834); " Bib- liotheca Americana ; or, a Catalogue of Books in Various Languages, relating to America, printed since the Year 1700 " (2 vols., London and New York, 1835); "Bibliotheca Americana Nova " (2 vols., London, 1846) ; and part of the " Biblio- theca Americana Vetus," the manuscript of which was accidentally left in a hackney-coach and lost. George Ticknor. William H. Prescott, and George Bancroft testify to Mr. Rich's knowledge and valu- able service, and Washington Irving, in a letter under date of 17 Sept., 1857, says : " He was one of the most indefatigable, intelligent, and successful bibliographers in Europe. His house at Madrid was a literary wilderness, abounding with curious works and rare editions, in the midst of which he lived and moved and had his being, and in the midst of which I passed many months while em- ployed on my work. . . . He was withal a man of great truthfulness and simplicity of character, of an amiable and obliging disposition, and strict in- tegrity." After his death his sons continued tin- business. Their stock of books finally passed into the possession of Edward G. Allen, of London, who issued a series of catalogues. There have been several auction sales of books in London purport- ing to be selections from the stock of Obadiah Rich, and it is believed that his collection has been dispersed in London.

RICHARD, Gabriel, clergyman, b. in Saintes. France, 15 Oct., 1764; d. in Detroit, Mich.. 13 Sept., 1832. He was related, on his mother's side. to Bossuet, bishop of Meaux. After receiving his preliminary education in the college of his native town, he entered the seminary of Angers in 11^4. received minor orders in 1785. and. to qualify himself to become a member of the Sulpitian society, he repaired to their house at Issy, near Paris, where he was ordained priest in 1791. He taught mat hematics in the college at Issy till April. 1792, when he embarked for the United States in company with Dr. Marechal, afterward archbishop of Baltimore. He engaged in missionary work in Illinois, and in 1798 was transferred to Detroit. His jurisdiction extended over the region that is now embraced in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. He opened a school in Detroit in 1804, but the fire of the following year swept away this and other buildings that he had erected. In 1807 he was invited by the governor of the territory and other Protestant gentlemen to preach to them in the English language, as there was at the time no Protestant clergyman in Detroit. He accordingly held meetings every Sunday at noon in the council house, where he delivered instructions on the general principles on which all Christians are agreed. He established a printing-press in Detroit the first in the territory and began the publication of a journal in French, entitled the " Essais du Michigan,' 1 in 1809. The irregularity of the mails led to its discontinuance after some time, but he issued works of piety, controversy, and patriotism from his press, which was for several years the only one in Michigan. His advocacy of American principles and his denunciation of the British at the beginning of the war of 1812 excited great indig-