ABSTRACT
RICE G.S. 28.02. 1849 Boston MA/USA 07.12. 1920 Montclair NJ/USA George Staples Rice graduated in 1870 from Harvard University with the degree of SB. He started already in 1869 in the service of the Boston Water Works, assisting in the construction of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. He became in 1870 assistant engineer of the water works, Lowell MA, and later an assistant division engineer of the Boston water works. From 1877 to 1880 he filled the position of both assistant engineer and principal assistant engineer in charge of the Boston Main Drainage Works, then one of the most important sanitary engineering projects ever undertaken in the USA. At this time James B. Francis (1815-1892), and Alphonse Fteley (1837-1903) were practising their profession at Boston. Daily contacts with these were an inspiration for young engineers as for Rice, and greatly influenced his entire career. In 1880 he went to Arizona and Colorado for seven years, where he was engaged in mining operations. Rice became in 1887 deputy chief engineer of the Aqueduct Commission of New York City, and thus began his work for the city to which he was destined to give the greater part of his career. He returned in 1891 for nine years to Boston where he was in charge of the Boston Transit Commission, and with his consulting office. He received a call from his Alma Mater in developing its School of Engineering. From 1902 to 1910 he served Harvard University as instructor in sanitary engineering. He in parallel served New York City as deputy chief engineer of its Transit Commission taking over in 1905 as chief engineer the Commission. From 1910 he resigned all positions, engaging himself in private practice. He had in total served the cities of Boston and New York in a honourably and unselfish manner throughout thirty years of his professional career, devoting nearly two-thirds of his professional life to public service. His long and active life brought him many friends, to all of whom he was greatly endeared because of his lovable and unselfish character. Anonymous (1904). Rice, George S. Cyclopaedia of American biography 12: 82. White: New York. P Anonymous (1920). George S. Rice. Engineering News-Record 85(24): 1160; 85(25): 1207. Anonymous (1922). George Staples Rice. Trans. ASCE 85: 1713-1715. Rice, G.S. (1891). Discussion of Excessive rainfalls. Trans. ASCE 25: 111. Rice, G.S. (1913). Suggested method of preventing rock slides. Journal of the Western Society of Engineers 18(7): 585-627.
