Albert E. Rice
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| Name at Enlist | Albert E. Rice |
| Birth Name | |
| Lived | 24 Sep 1845 – 11 Sep 1921 |
| Birth Place | Vinje, Telemark (or Vinje, Kristiansand Parish) |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | East Troy, Cast Iron, Walworth County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | K |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 17 Feb 1864 |
| Burial Location | Fairview Cemetery, Willmar, Kandiyohi County, MN |
| Immigration | 1860 |
| Spouse | Sophia L. Bratland (Brattlund) |
| Spouse Lived | 1854/7-1914 |
Albert E. Rice was born on September 24, 1845 in Vinje, Telemark (or Vinje, Kristiansand Parish), Norway. He came to America with his parents in 1860. Rice joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company K. The company called itself “Clausen’s Guards” in honor of the 15th’s first Chaplain, Claus L. Clausen. Most of the company was recruited from Scandinavian communities in MN and IA, with the rest from WI.
The army listed him as living in East Troy, Cast Iron, Walworth County, WI, age 18, and a carpenter. He had blue eyes, sandy hair, light complexion, and stood 5’4”. Rice enlisted for three years on January 12, 1864 at Madison, WI, and mustered there on February 17, 1864 as a Private (Menig). He joined Company K at Strawberry Plains, VA on March 31, 1864. On May 27, 1864, he was wounded in his left hand at New Hope Church, GA and sent to New Albany, IN. He transferred to the K Company of the WI 13th Infantry on January 10, 1865. He mustered out at Louisville, KY on June 3, 1865.
After the war, he lived in Willmar, MN and became a banker. He married Sophia L. Bratland (Brattlund). They had a son named Cushman A. Rice who lived from 1878 to 1932. He served in the MN senate from 1874 to 1886. From 1887 to 1891, he served as the 10th Lieutenant Governor of MN, Republican party. He was also a newspaperman and University of MN regent. The Rice Mansion is situated on the north shore of Green Lake in Spicer, MN and is a local landmark.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-13; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.148; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillage [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, IA, 1895), p.641; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.324; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.218, photo, p.319; Pensioners on the Roll as of January 1, 1883, living in Minnesota, publ. 1994, Park Genealogical Books, Brooklyn Park, MN; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_E._Rice; MN Historical Society, http://collections.mnhs.org/governors/index.php/10004276; MN Legislature, http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=14497; 1880 Census, Roll: 624, Family History Film: 1254624, Page: 89A, Enumeration District: 047, Image: 0497; findagrave.com.