Green Clay Smith

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Green Clay Smith

Green Clay Smith (born July 4, 1826 in Richmond , Madison County , Kentucky , † June 29, 1895 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician and from 1866 to 1868 the third governor of the Montana Territory . He also represented the state of Kentucky in the US House of Representatives .

Early years

After completing academic training, Smith joined the U.S. Army as a lieutenant during the Mexican-American War and served in an infantry regiment made up of volunteer soldiers from Kentucky. After the war, Smith continued his education by studying at Transylvania University in Lexington . He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He then began practicing in Covington . Between 1853 and 1857 he worked as a school commissioner .

Congressman and Governor

Between 1861 and 1863 he was an MP in the Kentucky House of Representatives . During the civil war he rose to Brevet - Brigadier General in the Union Army . Between 1863 and 1866 he was also a Unionist MP in the US House of Representatives, where he represented the sixth constituency of Kentucky. On July 13, 1866, Smith was named the new governor of the Montana Territory by President Andrew Johnson . He held this office until his resignation on April 9, 1869. During this time, there were conflicts with the Indians in his area due to the increasing number of immigrants. In this context, his deputy Thomas Francis Meagher had established the militia of the territory.

Presidential candidacy

After retiring from Montana as governor, Smith returned to Washington. There he was ordained a Baptist pastor. He also became a supporter of the prohibition movement and advocated a general ban on alcohol . Because of his commitment to this movement he was nominated in 1876 by the Prohibition Party as its candidate for the presidential election; his running mate for the vice presidency was Gideon T. Stewart of Ohio . Both won 9,737 votes nationwide, a share of 0.3 percent and fourth place behind the victorious Republican Rutherford B. Hayes , the Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and the greenbacker Peter Cooper .

Smith was a supporter of the prohibition movement. From 1890 until his death on June 29, 1895, he was pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington. Green Smith was at the National Cemetery in Arlington ( Virginia buried).

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