William Russell Smith

William Russell Smith

William Russell Smith (born March 27, 1815 in Russellville , Logan County , Kentucky , † February 26, 1896 in Washington DC ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) who represented the state of Alabama in the US House of Representatives and the Confederate Congress .

Smith moved to Alabama from Kentucky at a young age and attended the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa . He studied law , became a member of the Bar in 1835, and began practicing in Greensboro . The following year he served with the rank of captain in the state militia and took part in the campaign against the Creek Indians . He then worked in Tuscaloosa again as a lawyer and newspaper editor.

In 1839 he became mayor of Tuscaloosa; from 1841 to 1843 he was then a member of the Alabama House of Representatives . Between 1850 and 1851 he served as a judge for the Alabama Seventh District Court. On March 4, 1851 Smith moved into the US House of Representatives, to which he was a member for six years; before his final term in office, he joined the American Party .

At the Alabama Constitutional Convention in 1861, Smith voted against secession. Still, he later joined the Confederate Army and served as Colonel in the Alabama 26th Regiment during the Civil War . He was also a member of the First and Second Confederate Congresses from 1862 to 1865 .

After the end of the war, William Smith worked as a lawyer again. From 1869 to 1871 he was President of the University of Alabama.

Web links

• William Russell Smith in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Russell Smith in the database of Find a Grave (English)