William Rudolph Smith: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|19th-century American politician and pioneer (1787–1868)}} |
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{{For|other people of similar names|William R. Smith (disambiguation){{!}}William R. Smith}} |
{{For|other people of similar names|William R. Smith (disambiguation){{!}}William R. Smith}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}} |
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{{Infobox officeholder |
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|honorific-prefix = |
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|name = William R. Smith |
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|honorific-suffix = |
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|image = William Rudolph Smith.png |
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|caption = |
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|alt = |
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|order = 5th |
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|office = Attorney General of Wisconsin |
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| term_start = January 7, 1856 |
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| term_end = January 4, 1858 |
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| governor = [[William A. Barstow]]<br />[[Arthur MacArthur Sr.]]<br />[[Coles Bashford]] |
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| predecessor = [[George Baldwin Smith]] |
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| successor = [[Gabriel Bouck]] |
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|order1 = 1st |
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|title1 = [[State adjutant general|Adjutant General]] of Wisconsin |
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| term_start1 = May 29, 1848 |
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| term_end1 = April 1, 1851 |
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| predecessor1 = ''Position established'' |
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| successor1 = [[William A. Barstow]] |
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|state2 = Pennsylvania |
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|state_senate2 = Pennsylvania |
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|district2 = [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 17|17th]] |
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| term_start2 = December 2, 1823 |
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| term_end2 = December 7, 1824 |
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| predecessor2 = [[William Davidson (Pennsylvania representative)|William Davidson]] |
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| successor2 = Christian Garber |
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|state3 = Pennsylvania |
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|state_house3 = Pennsylvania |
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|district3 = [[Centre County, Pennsylvania|Centre]] and [[Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]] |
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| term_start3 = December 7, 1819 |
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| term_end3 = December 3, 1822 |
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| predecessor3 = Jacob Kryder |
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| successor3 = John Mitchell<br />and Martin Hoover |
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|birth_date = {{birth date|1787|8|31}} |
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| birth_place = [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]] |
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|death_date = {{death date and age|1868|8|22|1787|8|31}} |
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| death_place = [[Quincy, Illinois]] |
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|restingplace = Graceland Cemetery<br />[[Mineral Point, Wisconsin]] |
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|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]<br >[[Federalist Party|Federalist]] (before 1836) |
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|spouse = {{unbulleted list |
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| {{marriage|Eliza Anthony|1809|1821|end=died}} |
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| {{marriage|Mary Hamilton Van Dyke|1823}} |
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}} |
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|children = {{unbulleted list |
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| '''with Eliza Anthony''' |
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| William Anthony Smith |
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| {{sup|(b. 1809; died 1887)}} |
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| '''with Mary Van Dyke''' |
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| Penelope C. "Nellie" (Henry) |
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| {{sup|(b. 1830; died 1852)}} |
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| [[Richard M. Smith|Richard Moore Smith]] |
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| {{sup|(b. 1828; died 1888)}} |
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| [[John Montgomery Smith]] |
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| {{sup|(b. 1834; died 1903)}} |
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| Maria Letitia Smith |
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| {{sup|(b. 1836; died 1852)}} |
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}} |
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|father = William Moore Smith |
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|mother = Anne (Rudolph) Smith |
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|relatives = |
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|profession = lawyer |
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|allegiance = United States |
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|branch = {{unbulleted list| |
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| [[Pennsylvania Army National Guard|Pennsylvania Militia]] (1812–1815) |
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| [[Wisconsin Territory|Wisconsin Territorial Militia]] (1837–1848) |
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| [[Wisconsin National Guard|Wisconsin Militia]] (1848–1852) |
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}} |
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|commands = 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves |
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|rank = [[Major General]] |
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|battles = [[War of 1812]] |
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}} |
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'''William Rudolph Smith''' (August 31, 1787{{spaced ndash}}August 22, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from [[Pennsylvania]] who served as the 5th [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]], the first President of the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]], and the first [[State adjutant general|Adjutant General]] of Wisconsin. |
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Earlier, while living in Pennsylvania, he served as a [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] member of the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] and [[Pennsylvania Senate|Senate]], and served for many years in the [[Pennsylvania Army National Guard|Pennsylvania Militia]], including service as Colonel of the 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves in the [[War of 1812]]. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Smith was born on August 31, 1787, in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]]. He moved with his father to [[Philadelphia]] in 1792 and was educated in a prestigious preparatory school there. In 1799, he entered Latin school, but soon his education was taken over by his paternal grandfather, Reverend [[William Smith (Episcopal priest)|William Smith]]—who had been the first provost of the [[College of Philadelphia]].<ref name="wihist">{{cite web| url= https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS13086 |title= Smith, William Rudolph 1787 - 1868 |website= [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] |date= August 8, 2017 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> In 1803, his father, William Moore Smith, was appointed one of the commissioners to England to negotiate the ongoing adjustments and claims related to the "[[Jay Treaty]]" of 1795. The 16-year-old Smith was then employed by his father as a private secretary and accompanied him on his mission to the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]].<ref name="iowaco">{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cUVEAQAAMAAJ |title= Memoirs of Iowa County, Wisconsin |publisher= Northwestern Historical Association |year= 1913 |editor-last1= Crawford |editor-first1= George |editor-last2= Crawford |editor-first2= Robert M. |chapter= Biographical |pages= 165–167 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Obit">{{cite news|title=Death of Gen. Wm. R. Smith|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19601574/william_rudolph_smith_17871868/ |newspaper=Semi-Weekly Wisconsin|date=August 29, 1868|page=2|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = April 27, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> |
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Smith was born on August 31, 1787, in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]]. His father was [[William Smith (Episcopal priest)|William Smith]], the first provost of the [[College of Philadelphia]]. He studied law and in 1808 was admitted to the bar and moved to [[Huntingdon, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="Obit">{{cite news|title=Death of Gen. Wm. R. Smith|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19601574/william_rudolph_smith_17871868/|newspaper=Semi-Weekly Wisconsin|date=August 29, 1868|page=2|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = April 27, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> He married Eliza Anthony in 1809.<ref name=Hoyt>{{cite book |last1=Hoyt |first1=Albert Harrison |title=The New England Historical and Genealogical Register; Volume 23 1869 |date=1869 |publisher=New England Historic Geanealogical Society |page=218 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5yrNq-zNjgC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=william+rudolph+smith+pennsylvania+senator&source=bl&ots=QmKy7O4yx3&sig=ACfU3U1aSmQ735fd5LV6sluI9SCQFL-_dg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIo_CRic7lAhWi1FkKHTaYDPAQ6AEwCHoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=william%20rudolph%20smith%20pennsylvania%20senator&f=false |accessdate=3 November 2019}}</ref> He served as a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] in the [[United States Army]] during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2706&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=S Wisconsin Historical Society-William Rudolph Smith]. Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on January 22, 2016.</ref> His wife Eliza died in 1821 and he was remarried in 1823 to Mary Campbell Vandyke. |
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He returned to the United States in 1805 and studied law. In 1808, he was admitted to the [[Pennsylvania Bar Association|Pennsylvania Bar]] and moved to [[Huntingdon, Pennsylvania]]—a town that had been laid out by his grandfather—where he started his legal practice. In 1811, he was appointed Deputy Attorney General for nearby [[Cambria County, Pennsylvania|Cambria County]].<ref name="iowaco"/> |
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==Career== |
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Smith served in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] and the [[Pennsylvania Senate]] for the [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 17|17th district]] from 1821 to 1824.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania State Senate - William Rudolph Smith Biography |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5496&body=S |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |accessdate=3 November 2019}}</ref> In 1837, he was appointed by [[Henry Dodge]], Governor of the [[Wisconsin Territory]], to make a treaty with the [[Chippewa Indians]] which resulted in the purchase of land encompassing a large part of Minnesota.<ref name=Hoyt/> He moved to [[Mineral Point, Wisconsin]], in 1837.<ref name="Obit"/> He was elected Adjutant General and served until 1852. In 1846, he served as Clerk of Legislative Council and as a delegate to the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention. In 1849 and 1850, he served as Secretary of the Senate. He was elected Attorney General of Wisconsin and served from 1855 to 1856.<ref name=Hoyt/> |
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While living in Philadelphia as a young man, he became affiliated with the [[First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry|Philadelphia Light Horse]]. Throughout the years he became more active with the [[Pennsylvania Army National Guard|Pennsylvania Militia]], and, at the outbreak of the [[War of 1812]], he was appointed Colonel of the 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves. He led the regiment in support of the Erie Campaign and the [[Battle of Lundy's Lane]]; he was among the defenders at the [[Battle of Baltimore]] and witnessed the disastrous [[Battle of Bladensburg]] and the subsequent [[Burning of Washington|burning]] of [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="iowaco"/> He remained active with the Militia after the war, eventually rising to the rank of [[Major General]].<ref name="iowaco"/> |
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==Legacy== |
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His son [[Richard M. Smith]] spent a one-year term as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1856.<ref>{{cite news|title=Richard M. Smith|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21905462/richard_m_smith_18281888/|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 25, 1888|page=3|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = July 16, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> Another son, [[John Montgomery Smith]], also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1892.<ref>[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/smith9.html#SA90ZNWIY Biodata]. Politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved on January 22, 2016.</ref> Smith died on August 22, 1868<ref>{{cite news|title=Hon. William R. Smith|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19575515/william_rudolph_smith_17871868/|newspaper=The Daily Milwaukee News|date=August 26, 1868|page=4|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = April 26, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> and is interred at Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gen William Rudolph Smith |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120426765/william-rudolph-smith |website=www.findagrave.com |accessdate=3 November 2019}}</ref> |
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== |
==Pennsylvania career== |
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*[[List of Attorneys General of Wisconsin]] |
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He became more active in politics after the war, and, in 1819, was elected to a term in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]], for the district representing [[Centre County, Pennsylvania|Centre]] and [[Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]] counties.<ref>{{cite report| url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.74677619 |title= Journal of the Thirtieth House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |location=[[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] |year= 1820 |publisher= James Peacock, Second Street | page= 4 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> In 1823, he was elected to the [[Pennsylvania Senate]] to fill the last year of the term of [[William Davidson (Pennsylvania representative)|William Davidson]], who had resigned.<ref>{{cite report| url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.74677791 |title= Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |year= 1823 |publisher= Christian Sleim |location=[[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] |volume= 34 |page= 4 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania State Senate - William Rudolph Smith Biography |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5496&body=S |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |access-date=3 November 2019}}</ref> His politics evolved after his senate term, where he had served as a member of the [[Federalist Party]]. He became a [[Jeffersonian democracy|Jeffersonian democrat]] and, in 1836, was a [[United States Electoral College|presidential elector]] for [[Martin Van Buren]] in the [[1836 United States presidential election|presidential election]].<ref name="membio">{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=NXEtAAAAYAAJ |title= Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society |year= 1905 |publisher= New England Historic Genealogical Society |location= [[Boston, Massachusetts]] |volume= 6 |chapter= William Rudolph Smith |pages= 291–292 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> That same year, as he continued his legal career, he was admitted to the bar of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref name="iowaco"/> |
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==Wisconsin career== |
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On March 25, 1837, Smith was appointed commissioner for the United States, along with [[Wisconsin Territory]] Governor [[Henry Dodge]], to negotiate with the [[Ojibwe|Chippewa]] to purchase Ojibwe lands.<ref>NARA OIA M21-021-0129 Letters Sent {{full citation needed|date=December 2023}}</ref> He arrived too late; Dodge had already single-handedly wrested old growth pine and millsites in the future east central Minnesota and central Wisconsin from the assembled Ojibwe by a treaty negotiated at Fort Snelling in late July 1837.<ref>{{cite web |title=Smith, William Rudolph 1787 - 1868 |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS13086 |website=Wisconsin Historical Society |publisher=Dictionary of Wisconsin biography |language=en |date=8 August 2017}}</ref> In 1838 Smith published his travel notes as ''Observations on the Wisconsin Territory: Chiefly on That Part Called the Wisconsin Land District: With a Map, Exhibiting the Settled Parts of the Territory. As laid off in Counties by Act of the Legislature in 1837.''<ref>{{cite book |author= Smith, William Rudolph |title=Observations on the Wisconsin Territory |date=1838 |publisher=E. L. Carey & A. Hart |location=Philadelphia |page=10 |url=https://archive.org/details/observationsonwi0000smit/page/n10/mode/1up}}</ref> |
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Following the treaty, Smith remained in the Wisconsin Territory, and, in 1839, was appointed [[State adjutant general|adjutant general]] of the Wisconsin Territorial militia. He retained this office by a vote of the Legislature after Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, relinquishing it in 1852 after nearly 13 years in command of the [[Wisconsin National Guard|Wisconsin Militia]].<ref name="iowaco"/> He also became heavily involved with the emerging Democratic Party in the Wisconsin Territory, presiding over the first convention of the party in the territory, in 1840, and drafted the address of the party to the people of the territory. |
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In 1846, Smith was hired as Clerk of the Legislative Council (the upper body of the territorial legislature) and, that same year, was elected as one of Iowa County's delegates to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention. He sat in the chair of the constitutional convention when it first convened until the convention was able to elect a president.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56898082/wisconsin-constitutional-convention-1846/ |title= Constitutional Convention |newspaper= Wisconsin Democrat |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |date= October 10, 1846 |page= 1 |access-date= August 7, 2020 |via= [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> The constitution produced by this convention was ultimately rejected by the voters and another attempt was made in 1848, which produced the [[Constitution of Wisconsin]]. |
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After Wisconsin achieved statehood, in the [[2nd Wisconsin Legislature|2nd session]] of the [[Wisconsin State Senate]] (1849), the members elected Smith as Chief Clerk of the Senate. He was re-elected for another term in the [[3rd Wisconsin Legislature|3rd Legislature]] (1850).<ref>{{cite report|chapter-url=http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1882 |title= The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin |year= 1882 |editor1-last= Heg |editor1-first= J. E. |publisher= State of Wisconsin |chapter= Annals of the Legislature |pages= 179, 180 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> In 1852, Smith was commissioned by the Legislature to compose a documentary history of Wisconsin and, at the creation of the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]], Smith was appointed the first President of the organization. He ultimately produced two volumes of a planned three volume history.<ref name="Hoyt">{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=F5yrNq-zNjgC | last1= Hoyt |first1= Albert Harrison |title= The New England Historical and Genealogical Register |volume=23 (1869) |year= 1869 |publisher= New England Historic Genealogical Society |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5yrNq-zNjgC&pg=PA218 |chapter= Smith, Gen. William Rudolph |page=218 | isbn= 9780788400704 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> |
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In 1855, Smith was elected the 5th [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]], in the first statewide elections after the creation of the Republican Party. Smith defeated Republican candidate [[Alexander Randall (Wisconsin politician)|Alexander Randall]], who, two years later, would be elected Governor. Immediately after taking office, Smith was confronted by the controversy over the disputed results of the [[1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election]]—in which both Republican candidate, [[Coles Bashford]], and Democratic candidate, [[William A. Barstow]], claimed victory. Smith ultimately referred the matter to the [[Wisconsin Supreme Court]] on the information provided by Bashford that Barstow's majority relied on fraudulent returns. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bashford and he was ultimately installed as Governor.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/supreme/docs/famouscases02.pdf |title= Attorney General ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow |website= Wisconsin Court System |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> |
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After leaving office in 1857, Smith largely retired from public affairs.<ref name="iowaco"/> |
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==Personal life and family== |
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Smith was married twice. His first wife, Eliza Anthony, was a granddaughter of [[Michael Hillegas]], who had been the first [[Treasurer of the United States]]. Smith and Eliza Anthony were married March 17, 1809, and she died in 1821. In 1823, Smith married Mary Campbell Van Dyke, a niece of Congressman [[Thomas Jefferson Campbell]] of Tennessee. |
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With his first wife, Smith had at least one child: |
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* William Anthony Smith became a medical doctor and served as a surgeon in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Earlier in his life, he raised a company of militia known as the Cambria Guards who served in the [[Mexican American War]].<ref name="cambria">{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/cambriacountypio00swan_0 |last=Swank |first= James Moore |title= Cambria County Pioneers |publisher= Alan, Lane & Scott |year= 1910 |location= [[Philadelphia]] |chapter= Dr. William A. Smith |pages= 87, 89 |access-date= August 7, 2020 }}</ref> |
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With his second wife, Smith had at least four children: |
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* Penelope "Nellie" Smith married William T. Henry and moved to Sacramento, California, dying at age 22. |
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* [[Richard M. Smith|Richard Moore Smith]] served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1856.<ref>{{cite news|title=Richard M. Smith|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21905462/richard_m_smith_18281888/|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 25, 1888|page=3|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = July 16, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> |
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* [[John Montgomery Smith]] also served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, in 1892. |
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* Maria Letitia Smith died of a lung disease at age 16. |
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In addition to his political interests, Smith was active in the [[Freemasonry|masonic]] organizations of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and had served as [[Grand Master (Masonic)|Grand Master]] of both state organizations. He died on August 22, 1868, while visiting one of his daughters living in [[Quincy, Illinois]]. He was interred at Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hon. William R. Smith|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19575515/william_rudolph_smith_17871868/ |newspaper=The Daily Milwaukee News|date=August 26, 1868|page=4|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = April 26, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> Sources indicate Smith had eight children still living at the time of his death.<ref name="membio"/> |
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==Electoral history== |
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===Wisconsin Attorney General (1855)=== |
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{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1855<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56900785/wisconsin-state-election-1855/ |title= The Official Canvass |newspaper= Daily Free Democrat |location= [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]] |date= December 19, 1855 |page= 2 |access-date= August 7, 2020}}</ref>}} |
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| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 6, 1855''' |
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{{Election box winning candidate with party link| |
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|party = Democratic Party (United States) |
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|candidate = William R. Smith |
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|votes = 37,312 |
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|percentage = 51.22% |
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|change = -5.81% |
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}} |
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{{Election box candidate with party link| |
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|party = Republican Party (United States) |
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|candidate = [[Alexander Randall (Wisconsin politician)|Alexander Randall]] |
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|votes = 35,533 |
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|percentage = 48.78% |
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|change = |
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}} |
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{{Election box plurality |
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|votes = 1,779 |
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|percentage = 2.44% |
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|change = -12.00% |
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}} |
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{{Election box total |
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|votes = 72,845 |
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|percentage = 100.0% |
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|change = +31.03% |
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}} |
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{{Election box hold with party link no swing |
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|winner = Democratic Party (United States) |
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}} |
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{{Election box end}} |
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==Works== |
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* {{cite book| url= https://archive.org/details/historyofwisconsin01smitrich |title= The History of Wisconsin |volume= 1, Historical |year= 1854 |publisher= [[Beriah Brown]] |last= Smith |first= William Rudolph |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |access-date= August 7, 2020 }} |
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* {{cite book| url= https://archive.org/details/historyofwiscons02smit|title= The History of Wisconsin |volume= 2, Documentary |year= 1854 |publisher= [[Beriah Brown]] |last= Smith |first= William Rudolph |location= [[Madison, Wisconsin]] |access-date= August 7, 2020 }} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*{{Find a Grave|120426765}} |
*{{Find a Grave|120426765|Gen William Rudolph Smith }} |
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* [https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/1854/related/acts/57.pdf 1854 Wisc. Act 57] - AN ACT to provide for the payment of the expenses of compiling the Documentary History of Wisconsin. |
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* [https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/1854/related/acts/61.pdf 1854 Wisc. Act 61] - AN ACT for the publication of the Documentary History of Wisconsin. |
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{{s-non|reason = New state government }} |
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{{s-ttl|title = [[State adjutant general|Adjutant General]] of Wisconsin |years= May 29, 1848{{spaced ndash}}April 1, 1851 }} |
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{{s-aft|after = [[William A. Barstow]] }} |
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{{s-bef|before = [[George Baldwin Smith]] }} |
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{{s-ttl|title = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]]|years=1855}} |
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{{s-aft|after = [[Gabriel Bouck]] }} |
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{{s-par|us-pa-hs}} |
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{{s-bef|before = Jacob Kryder}} |
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{{s-ttl|title = Member of the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] from the {{nowrap|[[Centre County, Pennsylvania|Centre]] and [[Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]] district}}|years=December 7, 1819{{spaced ndash}}December 3, 1822}} |
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{{s-aft|after = John Mitchell<br />and Martin Hoover}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[William Davidson (Pennsylvania representative)|William Davidson]]}} |
{{s-bef|before = [[William Davidson (Pennsylvania representative)|William Davidson]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[Pennsylvania State Senate|Pennsylvania Senate]] from the [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 17|17th]] district|years= |
{{s-ttl|title = Member of the [[Pennsylvania State Senate|Pennsylvania Senate]] from the [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 17|17th]] district|years=December 2, 1823{{spaced ndash}}December 7, 1824}} |
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{{s-aft|after=Christian Garber}} |
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{{ |
{{s-bef| before=[[George Baldwin Smith]] }} |
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{{s-ttl|title = [[Attorney General of Wisconsin]] | years= January 7, 1856{{spaced ndash}}January 4, 1858 }} |
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{{s-aft| after=[[Gabriel Bouck]] }} |
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{{Wisconsin Attorneys General}} |
{{Wisconsin Attorneys General}} |
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[[Category:1787 births]] |
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[[Category:1868 deaths]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American |
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[[Category:Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] |
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[[Category:People from Trappe, Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:United States Army officers]] |
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[[Category:United States Army soldiers]] |
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[[Category:Wisconsin Attorneys General]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American lawyers]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin]] |
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[[Category:Adjutants General of Wisconsin]] |
Latest revision as of 22:42, 21 December 2023
William R. Smith | |
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5th Attorney General of Wisconsin | |
In office January 7, 1856 – January 4, 1858 | |
Governor | William A. Barstow Arthur MacArthur Sr. Coles Bashford |
Preceded by | George Baldwin Smith |
Succeeded by | Gabriel Bouck |
1st Adjutant General of Wisconsin | |
In office May 29, 1848 – April 1, 1851 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | William A. Barstow |
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 17th district | |
In office December 2, 1823 – December 7, 1824 | |
Preceded by | William Davidson |
Succeeded by | Christian Garber |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Centre and Clearfield district | |
In office December 7, 1819 – December 3, 1822 | |
Preceded by | Jacob Kryder |
Succeeded by | John Mitchell and Martin Hoover |
Personal details | |
Born | Trappe, Pennsylvania | August 31, 1787
Died | August 22, 1868 Quincy, Illinois | (aged 80)
Resting place | Graceland Cemetery Mineral Point, Wisconsin |
Political party | Democratic Federalist (before 1836) |
Spouses |
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Children |
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Parents |
|
Profession | lawyer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service |
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Rank | Major General |
Commands | 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves |
Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
William Rudolph Smith (August 31, 1787 – August 22, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from Pennsylvania who served as the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin, the first President of the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the first Adjutant General of Wisconsin.
Earlier, while living in Pennsylvania, he served as a Federalist member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate, and served for many years in the Pennsylvania Militia, including service as Colonel of the 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves in the War of 1812.
Early life[edit]
Smith was born on August 31, 1787, in Trappe, Pennsylvania. He moved with his father to Philadelphia in 1792 and was educated in a prestigious preparatory school there. In 1799, he entered Latin school, but soon his education was taken over by his paternal grandfather, Reverend William Smith—who had been the first provost of the College of Philadelphia.[1] In 1803, his father, William Moore Smith, was appointed one of the commissioners to England to negotiate the ongoing adjustments and claims related to the "Jay Treaty" of 1795. The 16-year-old Smith was then employed by his father as a private secretary and accompanied him on his mission to the United Kingdom.[2][3]
He returned to the United States in 1805 and studied law. In 1808, he was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and moved to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania—a town that had been laid out by his grandfather—where he started his legal practice. In 1811, he was appointed Deputy Attorney General for nearby Cambria County.[2]
While living in Philadelphia as a young man, he became affiliated with the Philadelphia Light Horse. Throughout the years he became more active with the Pennsylvania Militia, and, at the outbreak of the War of 1812, he was appointed Colonel of the 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves. He led the regiment in support of the Erie Campaign and the Battle of Lundy's Lane; he was among the defenders at the Battle of Baltimore and witnessed the disastrous Battle of Bladensburg and the subsequent burning of Washington, D.C.[2] He remained active with the Militia after the war, eventually rising to the rank of Major General.[2]
Pennsylvania career[edit]
He became more active in politics after the war, and, in 1819, was elected to a term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, for the district representing Centre and Clearfield counties.[4] In 1823, he was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate to fill the last year of the term of William Davidson, who had resigned.[5][6] His politics evolved after his senate term, where he had served as a member of the Federalist Party. He became a Jeffersonian democrat and, in 1836, was a presidential elector for Martin Van Buren in the presidential election.[7] That same year, as he continued his legal career, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.[2]
Wisconsin career[edit]
On March 25, 1837, Smith was appointed commissioner for the United States, along with Wisconsin Territory Governor Henry Dodge, to negotiate with the Chippewa to purchase Ojibwe lands.[8] He arrived too late; Dodge had already single-handedly wrested old growth pine and millsites in the future east central Minnesota and central Wisconsin from the assembled Ojibwe by a treaty negotiated at Fort Snelling in late July 1837.[9] In 1838 Smith published his travel notes as Observations on the Wisconsin Territory: Chiefly on That Part Called the Wisconsin Land District: With a Map, Exhibiting the Settled Parts of the Territory. As laid off in Counties by Act of the Legislature in 1837.[10]
Following the treaty, Smith remained in the Wisconsin Territory, and, in 1839, was appointed adjutant general of the Wisconsin Territorial militia. He retained this office by a vote of the Legislature after Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, relinquishing it in 1852 after nearly 13 years in command of the Wisconsin Militia.[2] He also became heavily involved with the emerging Democratic Party in the Wisconsin Territory, presiding over the first convention of the party in the territory, in 1840, and drafted the address of the party to the people of the territory.
In 1846, Smith was hired as Clerk of the Legislative Council (the upper body of the territorial legislature) and, that same year, was elected as one of Iowa County's delegates to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention. He sat in the chair of the constitutional convention when it first convened until the convention was able to elect a president.[11] The constitution produced by this convention was ultimately rejected by the voters and another attempt was made in 1848, which produced the Constitution of Wisconsin.
After Wisconsin achieved statehood, in the 2nd session of the Wisconsin State Senate (1849), the members elected Smith as Chief Clerk of the Senate. He was re-elected for another term in the 3rd Legislature (1850).[12] In 1852, Smith was commissioned by the Legislature to compose a documentary history of Wisconsin and, at the creation of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Smith was appointed the first President of the organization. He ultimately produced two volumes of a planned three volume history.[13]
In 1855, Smith was elected the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin, in the first statewide elections after the creation of the Republican Party. Smith defeated Republican candidate Alexander Randall, who, two years later, would be elected Governor. Immediately after taking office, Smith was confronted by the controversy over the disputed results of the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election—in which both Republican candidate, Coles Bashford, and Democratic candidate, William A. Barstow, claimed victory. Smith ultimately referred the matter to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on the information provided by Bashford that Barstow's majority relied on fraudulent returns. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bashford and he was ultimately installed as Governor.[14]
After leaving office in 1857, Smith largely retired from public affairs.[2]
Personal life and family[edit]
Smith was married twice. His first wife, Eliza Anthony, was a granddaughter of Michael Hillegas, who had been the first Treasurer of the United States. Smith and Eliza Anthony were married March 17, 1809, and she died in 1821. In 1823, Smith married Mary Campbell Van Dyke, a niece of Congressman Thomas Jefferson Campbell of Tennessee.
With his first wife, Smith had at least one child:
- William Anthony Smith became a medical doctor and served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Earlier in his life, he raised a company of militia known as the Cambria Guards who served in the Mexican American War.[15]
With his second wife, Smith had at least four children:
- Penelope "Nellie" Smith married William T. Henry and moved to Sacramento, California, dying at age 22.
- Richard Moore Smith served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1856.[16]
- John Montgomery Smith also served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, in 1892.
- Maria Letitia Smith died of a lung disease at age 16.
In addition to his political interests, Smith was active in the masonic organizations of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and had served as Grand Master of both state organizations. He died on August 22, 1868, while visiting one of his daughters living in Quincy, Illinois. He was interred at Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point.[17] Sources indicate Smith had eight children still living at the time of his death.[7]
Electoral history[edit]
Wisconsin Attorney General (1855)[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 6, 1855 | |||||
Democratic | William R. Smith | 37,312 | 51.22% | -5.81% | |
Republican | Alexander Randall | 35,533 | 48.78% | ||
Plurality | 1,779 | 2.44% | -12.00% | ||
Total votes | 72,845 | 100.0% | +31.03% | ||
Democratic hold |
Works[edit]
- Smith, William Rudolph (1854). The History of Wisconsin. Vol. 1, Historical. Madison, Wisconsin: Beriah Brown. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- Smith, William Rudolph (1854). The History of Wisconsin. Vol. 2, Documentary. Madison, Wisconsin: Beriah Brown. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
References[edit]
- ^ "Smith, William Rudolph 1787 - 1868". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Crawford, George; Crawford, Robert M., eds. (1913). "Biographical". Memoirs of Iowa County, Wisconsin. Northwestern Historical Association. pp. 165–167. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Death of Gen. Wm. R. Smith". Semi-Weekly Wisconsin. August 29, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved April 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Journal of the Thirtieth House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Report). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: James Peacock, Second Street. 1820. p. 4. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Report). Vol. 34. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Christian Sleim. 1823. p. 4. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Pennsylvania State Senate - William Rudolph Smith Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "William Rudolph Smith". Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Vol. 6. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. 1905. pp. 291–292. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ NARA OIA M21-021-0129 Letters Sent [full citation needed]
- ^ "Smith, William Rudolph 1787 - 1868". Wisconsin Historical Society. Dictionary of Wisconsin biography. August 8, 2017.
- ^ Smith, William Rudolph (1838). Observations on the Wisconsin Territory. Philadelphia: E. L. Carey & A. Hart. p. 10.
- ^ "Constitutional Convention". Wisconsin Democrat. Madison, Wisconsin. October 10, 1846. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the Legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 179, 180. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Hoyt, Albert Harrison (1869). "Smith, Gen. William Rudolph". The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol. 23 (1869). New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 218. ISBN 9780788400704. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Attorney General ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow" (PDF). Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Swank, James Moore (1910). "Dr. William A. Smith". Cambria County Pioneers. Philadelphia: Alan, Lane & Scott. pp. 87, 89. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Richard M. Smith". Chicago Tribune. May 25, 1888. p. 3. Retrieved July 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hon. William R. Smith". The Daily Milwaukee News. August 26, 1868. p. 4. Retrieved April 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Official Canvass". Daily Free Democrat. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. December 19, 1855. p. 2. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
External links[edit]
- Gen William Rudolph Smith at Find a Grave
- 1854 Wisc. Act 57 - AN ACT to provide for the payment of the expenses of compiling the Documentary History of Wisconsin.
- 1854 Wisc. Act 61 - AN ACT for the publication of the Documentary History of Wisconsin.
- 1787 births
- 1868 deaths
- 19th-century American legislators
- Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania lawyers
- Pennsylvania state senators
- People from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
- People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin
- People from Pennsylvania in the War of 1812
- People from Trappe, Pennsylvania
- United States Army officers
- Wisconsin Attorneys General
- 19th-century American lawyers
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania
- Military personnel from Wisconsin
- Adjutants General of Wisconsin