John Montgomery Smith (February 26, 1834 – May 14, 1903) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Iowa County in the 1893 session, and served four terms as mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. His father, William Rudolph Smith, was the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin. In contemporaneous documents, his name was usually abbreviated as J. M. Smith.
J. M. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Iowa district | |
| In office January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895 | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | William A. Jones |
| 20th & 23rd Mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1885 – April 1886 | |
| Preceded by | William A. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Charles Gillmann |
| In office April 1879 – April 1882 | |
| Preceded by | Calvert Spensley |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Priestley |
| District Attorney of Iowa County, Wisconsin | |
| In office January 1869 – January 1873 | |
| Preceded by | E. P. Weber |
| Succeeded by | Richard L. Read |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 26, 1834 Bedford County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 1903 (aged 69) Mineral Point, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Graceland Cemetery, Mineral Point |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent |
|
| Profession | lawyer |
Early life
editJohn Montgomery Smith was born in 1834, in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, and moved to the Wisconsin Territory with his parents at age 4.[1] They settled in what would become Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. In 1852, he went to California but returned in 1855 and studied law. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1862.
Political career
editHe became involved with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and was elected to two terms as district attorney of Iowa County, Wisconsin, in 1868 and 1870. He was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1879, but fell far short of incumbent Republican Alexander Wilson.[2]
He was subsequently elected to four terms as mayor of Mineral Point, in 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1885. He was delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention and 1888 Democratic National Convention. During the first administration of President Grover Cleveland, he negotiated treaties with the Ute Indians and then with the Chippewa Indians.[3]
He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Iowa County district in 1892,[4][1] but did not stand for re-election in 1894. He ran again in 1896, but lost to Republican incumbent William A. Jones.[5]
He died in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in 1903.
Electoral history
editWisconsin Attorney General (1879)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 4, 1879 | |||||
| Republican | Alexander Wilson (incumbent) | 100,562 | 53.43% | +9.17% | |
| Democratic | J. Montgomery Smith | 74,821 | 39.75% | −1.64% | |
| Greenback | Edward Q. Nye | 12,846 | 6.82% | −7.54% | |
| Plurality | 25,741 | 13.68% | +10.81% | ||
| Total votes | 188,229 | 100.0% | +7.75% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Wisconsin Assembly (1892)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1892 | |||||
| Democratic | John Montgomery Smith | 2,358 | 47.45% | ||
| Republican | Thomas F. Cody | 2,264 | 45.56% | ||
| Prohibition | A. S. Rowe | 347 | 6.98% | ||
| Plurality | 94 | 1.89% | |||
| Total votes | 4,969 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic win (new seat) | |||||
Wisconsin Assembly (1896)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 3, 1896 | |||||
| Republican | William A. Jones (incumbent) | 3,263 | 61.21% | +6.50% | |
| Democratic | John Montgomery Smith | 2,067 | 38.77% | +1.55% | |
| Independent | N. H. Snow (write-in) | 1 | 0.02% | ||
| Plurality | 1,196 | 22.43% | +4.95% | ||
| Total votes | 5,331 | 100.0% | +3.09% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 642. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Warner, Hans B., ed. (1880). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 496. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin 1907, Wisconsin Bar Association of Wisconsin: 1907, Biographical Sketch of John Montgomery Smith, pp. 313-314
- ^ "Election Notice". The Journal Times. November 7, 1892. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Casson, Henry, ed. (1897). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 680–681. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
