George Luke Smith

George Luke Smith (born December 11, 1837 in New Boston , Hillsborough County , New Hampshire , †  July 9, 1884 in Hot Springs , Arkansas ) was an American politician . Between 1873 and 1875 he represented the state of Louisiana in the US House of Representatives .

Career

George Smith attended Union College in Schenectady , New York , after elementary school . During the civil war he served in the Union army. There he was responsible for replenishment. After the war, he moved to Shreveport , Louisiana, where he worked in commerce. He also became the owner of Shreveport Southwestern Telegram and President of Shreveport Savings Bank & Trust Co. At the same time, he began a political career as a member of the Republican Party . At first he held several local offices in his new home. From 1870 to 1872 he was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives .

After the death of MP Samuel Peters, elected in 1872, who died before he took office, Smith was elected as his successor to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC when the by-election was due for the fourth seat of Louisiana . There he took up his new mandate on November 24, 1873. By March 3, 1875, he ended the current legislative period of Congress . In the elections of 1874 he was defeated by the Democrat William M. Levy .

In 1876, Smith played a major role in the controversial presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden . He was instrumental in getting the majority of the Republican votes in Louisiana. Between 1878 and 1879, Smith was in charge of Customs in the Port of New Orleans . He then moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he worked in the real estate industry. He died there on July 9, 1884.

Web links

• George Luke Smith in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• George Luke Smith in the database of Find a Grave (English)