lawyer, politician, businessman, b. Fort Howard (Green Bay). He graduated from the Univ. of Michigan (B.A., 1846), studied law in Monroe, Mich., and in 1849 moved to Milwaukee, where he was admitted to the bar (1850) and set up a law practice. For a number of years Smith practiced law in partnership with Edward Salomon (q.v.), and in 1862 was appointed state attorney general by Salomon, then governor of Wisconsin, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James H. Howe (q.v.). Smith was elected to the office in 1863, and served from Oct., 1862, to Jan., 1866. During Smith's term as attorney general he was faced with the difficult legal problems arising during the Civil War, including the draft riots and the Rock River Canal claims. He handled these cases adroitly, later served in the state assembly (1872), and was recognized as one of the most capable lawyers in the state. Smith was also active in various Milwaukee business enterprises, notably the Cream City Street R.R. Co., of which he was president (1876-1890). In 1895 his health began to fail, and he died while convalescing in England. J. R. Berryman, ed., Bench and Bar of Wis. (2 vols., Chicago, 1898); P. M. Reed, Bench and Bar of Wis. (Milwaukee, 1882); Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 3, 1899.Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
