William Smyth (politician)

William Smyth

William Smyth (born January 3, 1824 in Eden , County Tyrone , Ireland , †  September 30, 1870 in Marion , Iowa ) was an American politician . Between 1869 and 1870 he represented the state of Iowa in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Smyth attended public schools in his Irish homeland. In 1838 he immigrated to the United States with his parents. The family initially settled in Pennsylvania and moved to the Iowa Territory in 1844 . There Smyth attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1847, he began to practice his new profession in Marion. Between 1848 and 1853 he was a district attorney in Linn County ; from 1853 to 1857 he served as a judge in the fourth judicial district of Iowa. In 1858, Smyth chaired an Iowa Law Revision Committee. He also took part in the Civil War for two years as a colonel in the Union Army .

Politically, Smyth became a member of the Republican Party, founded in 1854 . In the congressional elections of 1868 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the second constituency of Iowa , where he succeeded Hiram Price on March 4, 1869 . He was nominated by his party in 1870 for another term in Congress , but died before the election on September 30, 1870. After a by-election, his seat fell to William P. Wolf . William Smyth was married to Mary Brier. He was buried in Marion.

Web links

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

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