Charles Allen Thorndike Rice was born on June 18, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts, the only son of Henry Gardner Rice (1820–1869), from a Boston publishing family, and Elizabeth Frances Thorndike (1823-1866), from a New York publishing family.

He was a publisher, editor, and author. He was raised in a wealthy family with his early education provided by a tutor as well as the local Episcopal school. His parents divorced in 1859, and following a bitter child custody dispute, he lived in Canada, Germany, and England. After the death of his parents, he inherited both of their estates. He graduated from Oxford University (B.A., 1874; M.A., 1878). In 1876, he bought the North American Review and became its publisher and editor-in-chief. The magazine provided an outlet for his interest in writing, as he was a frequent contributor. In 1879, he sponsored the Charnay Expedition, which explored the Mayan ruins in Central America. Upon the return of the expedition, Rice wrote his first book, "Ruined Cities of Central America" (1880). The same year he was awarded the Chevalier de Légion d'honneur by French President Jules Grévy. In 1889, he was appointed as Minister to Russia by President Benjamin Harrison, but he died from tonsillitis in a hotel room in New York City on May 16, 1889, before assuming his post.