David Rice

David Hall Rice (1841-1893) was born on May 6, 1841, in Penn Yan, New York. He would receive an early education from the New York common school system. He would then attend Genesee College, what is now Syracuse University, where he undertook a partial course, before being admitted to the bar. He would then move to Savannah, Georgia, to practice the law, and in 1867, he became a partner of the United States District Attorney in that state. He would later move to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he opened a law practice, which was later relocated to Boston in 1872. Rice was perhaps the most renowned patent lawyer in the United States at the time. His first major work was on patent law, a work which was subsequently adopted by the United States Patent Office. For this work, Rice earned an honorary Masters degree from Syracuse University.

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It was after this that Rice produced his major work on economics. This was his Protective Philosophy: A Discussion of the Principles of the American Protective System as Embodied in the McKinley Bill. In addition, Rice also wrote numerous articles which were published in the Home Market Bulletin and the American Economist. He would also deliver several addresses on the subject, that were later circulated in pamphlet format, including a notable speech given at Brown University. In addition to these literary efforts, Rice was also an executive member of the fiercely protectionist Home Market Club. Later in life, Rice would also be elected to public office, having won a seat in the Massachusetts Governors Council for the Republican Party in 1892. This service was cut short, however, with Rice falling ill during a voyage on his yacht. He died on October 14, 1893, before his term expired.