| Caleb Rice | |
| Office: | 1st Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Term Start: | 1852 |
| Term End: | 1853 |
| Predecessor: | Board of Selectmen |
| Successor: | Philos B. Tyler |
| Term Start2: | 1831 |
| Term End2: | 1851 |
| Predecessor2: | John Phelps |
| Successor2: | Patrick Boies |
| Term Start3: | 1826 |
| Term End3: | 1830 |
| Term Start4: | June 1851 |
| Term End4: | March 1, 1873 |
| Predecessor4: | None |
| Successor4: | E. W. Bond |
| Birth Date: | April 4, 1792 |
| Profession: | Attorney, businessman |
| Alma Mater: | Williams College |
| Spouse: | Marietta Parsons Rice (m. 1826) |
| Children: | Joseph Rice (1828–1831); Benjamin Stebbins Rice (1829–1831); Elizabeth D. Rice (b. 1835) |
| Signature: | Caleb Rice Signature.png |
Caleb Rice (1792–1873) was an American politician and businessman. He was the first Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, when it became a city in 1852, and the first president of MassMutual Life Insurance Company, now a Fortune 100 company.
Caleb Rice was born on April 4, 1792, in Conway, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph Rice and Betty (Dickerson) Rice. Rice married Marietta P. Parsons, daughter of Israel Parsons, in 1826.
Rice served as the first Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, when it became a city in 1852, and he was also the first president of MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Rice also served as the third Sheriff of Hampden County, Massachusetts, and on the Board of Selectmen of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Additionally, Rice served for five years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Springfield.[1] He died March 1, 1873.
Rice was a direct descendant of Edmund Rice an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony as follows:[2]