# Luther Rice

luther rice (March 25, 1783 – September 27, 1836) was an American Baptist minister who, after a thwarted mission to India, returned to America where he spent the remainder of his career raising funds for missions and advocating for the formation of a unified Baptist missionary-sending body, which culminated in establishment of the Baptist Triennial Convention (which later split with the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention). He also raised funds to establish Columbian College (now George Washington University) in Washington, D.C. == Early life and education == Rice was born March 25, 1783, in Northborough, Massachusetts, to Amos Rice and Sarah (Graves) Rice. As a young man at Williams College, Rice became part of a group of young ministers and aspiring missionaries who called themselves "the Brethren." The group became famous for the "Haystack Prayer Meeting," although Rice was not present that day.