author
Henry M. (Henry Mower) Rice
1816–1894
A fur trader turned politician, he became one of the key figures in Minnesota’s push toward statehood. His career also reflects the darker side of that era, as his business and treaty work often advanced settler interests at the expense of Indigenous communities.
1 Audiobook
Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society for the Year 1867
by Charles Edwin Mayo, Henry M. (Henry Mower) Rice, A. J. (Alfred James) Hill, Gideon H. (Gideon Hollister) Pond
About the author
Born in Waitsfield, Vermont, in 1816, Henry Mower Rice built his early career in the fur trade on the Upper Midwest frontier. He later settled in St. Paul and became deeply involved in business, land development, and territorial politics as Minnesota grew.
Rice served as a delegate from the Minnesota Territory to the U.S. House of Representatives and then as one of Minnesota’s first U.S. senators after statehood. He is often remembered as an important force in the creation and early political life of the state.
Modern historical accounts present a more complicated picture as well. Alongside his role in Minnesota’s development, he was involved in treaty negotiations and policies that benefited him and his associates while harming Indigenous peoples, making him a significant but controversial figure in the region’s history.