Background
Thomas Dartmouth Rice was born in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York. His family resided in the commercial district near the East River docks. Rice received some formal education in his youth, but ceased in his teenage years when he acquired an apprenticeship with a woodcarver named Dodge. Despite his occupational training, Rice quickly made a career as a performer. By 1827, he was a traveling actor, appearing not only as a stock player in several New York theaters, but also performing on frontier stages in the coastal South and the Ohio River valley. According to a former stage colleague Rice was "tall and wiry, and a great deal on the build of Bob Fitzsimmons, the prizefighter." According to another account he was at least six foot tall. He frequently told stories of George Washington, whom he claimed had been a friend of his father.
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Famous quotes containing the word background:
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