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John Montgomery Smith

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J. M. Smith
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Iowa district
In office
January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895
Preceded by
Succeeded byWilliam A. Jones
20th & 23rd Mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin
In office
April 1885 – April 1886
Preceded byWilliam A. Jones
Succeeded byCharles Gillmann
In office
April 1879 – April 1882
Preceded byCalvert Spensley
Succeeded byThomas Priestley
District Attorney of Iowa County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1869 – January 1873
Preceded byE. P. Weber
Succeeded byRichard L. Read
Personal details
Born(1834-02-26)February 26, 1834
Bedford County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 1903(1903-05-14) (aged 69)
Mineral Point, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeGraceland Cemetery, Mineral Point
Political partyDemocratic
Parent
Professionlawyer

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.

Early life

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John 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

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He 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

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Wisconsin Attorney General (1879)

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Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1879[2]
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)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Iowa District Election, 1892[1]
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)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Iowa District Election, 1896[5]
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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin 1907, Wisconsin Bar Association of Wisconsin: 1907, Biographical Sketch of John Montgomery Smith, pp. 313-314
  4. ^ "Election Notice". The Journal Times. November 7, 1892. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ 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.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin
1879
Succeeded by
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Robert M. Crawford (1st dist.)
Edmund Baker (2nd dist.)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Iowa district
January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin
April 1879 – April 1882
Succeeded by
Thomas Priestley
Preceded by
William A. Jones
Mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin
April 1885 – April 1886
Succeeded by
Charles Gillmann
Legal offices
Preceded by
E. P. Weber
District Attorney of Iowa County, Wisconsin
January 1869 – January 1873
Succeeded by
Richard L. Read