Green Clay Smith

Green Clay Smith
2nd Territorial Governor of Montana
In office July 13, 1866 – April 9, 1869
Preceded by	Thomas Francis Meagher Acting Territorial Governor
Succeeded by	James Mitchell Ashley
Personal details
Born	(1826-07-04)July 4, 1826 Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	June 29, 1895(1895-06-29) (aged 68) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Unconditional Unionist, Prohibitionist
Profession	Politician, Lawyer, Pastor
Religion	Baptist

Green Clay Smith (July 4, 1826 – June 29, 1895) was a U.S. soldier and politician. He served as a major general during the Civil War, was a congressman from Kentucky and was the Territorial Governor of Montana from 1866 to 1869.

Biography

Smith was born in Richmond, Kentucky to John Speed Smith. Smith pursued academic studies as a young man. During the U.S.-Mexican War, he enlisted in the Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the First Regiment of the Kentucky Volunteer Infantry on June 9, 1846. He graduated from Transylvania University in 1849, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1852, commencing practice in Covington, Kentucky. From 1853 to 1857, Smith worked as a school commissioner.

Career

Congressman

Smith was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. On April 4, 1862, he was commissioned colonel of the Fourth Regiment of the Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry. He later advanced to brigadier general of volunteers on July 2, 1862. In 1862, Smith was elected an Unconditional Unionist to the thirty-eighth congress, resigning from his military post on December 1, 1863. He served as chairman of the Committee on Militia from 1865 to 1866. He was brevetted major general of volunteers on March 13, 1865.

Governor

Smith resigned from Congress in July 1866 when President Andrew Johnson appointed him Territorial Governor of Montana, which he served as from 1866 to 1869. After he resigned, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he was ordained to the Baptist ministry and supported the temperance movement.

Presidential nomination

In 1876, the National Prohibition Party nominated Smith for President of the United States. With his running mate, Gideon T. Stewart, the two received 9,737 popular votes in the election. He continued his work in religion and temperance and in 1890 became pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. which he served as until his death in 1895.

Death

Smith was interned in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

External links

• Green Clay Smith at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved on 2008-08-17
• "Green Clay Smith". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
• Green Clay Smith at Arlington National Cemetery

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by George W. Dunlap	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th congressional district March 4, 1863 – July, 1866	Succeeded by Andrew H. Ward
Political offices
Preceded by Thomas Francis Meagher Acting Territorial Governor	Territorial Governor of Montana July 13, 1866 – April 9, 1869	Succeeded by James Mitchell Ashley
Party political offices
Preceded by James Black	Prohibition Party presidential nominee 1876 (lost)	Succeeded by Neal S. Dow