Delazon Smith (October 5, 1816November 19, 1860) was a

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who briefly represented the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in 1859. He served for less than one month (February 14 to March 3), making his term among the shortest on record in the Senate. Smith was also a newspaper editor in New York and

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, and served in the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. ...

's legislature. According to the obituary in the ''Chicago Tribune'', "The adventurous character of Mr. Smith, and the noted eccentricity of his career, had given him a notoriety greater than is usual to men of a similar grade of ability and attainment."

Early life

Smith was born in

New Berlin, New York New Berlin is a town in Chenango County, in central New York, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2010 census. The town contains the village of New Berlin. The town is at the eastern border of the county and is northeast of Norwich. ...

on October 5, 1816. He was expelled from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1837, and excommunicated from "the church". He then began the study of law. and soon was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

. In 1838 he established the ''

New York Watchman New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

'' newspaper in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located i ...

, which he edited for two years. Smith also edited the '' True Jeffersonian'' and the ''

Western Herald The ''Western Herald'' is the student newspaper of Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It began printing in 1916. The paper was known as the ''Western Normal Herald'' from 1916 to 1927. It provides news about the students, cam ...

'' in Rochester for a time in 1840. In 1841, he founded the ''Western Empire'' in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater ...

Anti-abolitionist

Like most Democrats at the time, Delazon was opposed to the abolition of American slavery, and in particular to the warm treatment blacks received in Oberlin.

Politics

Smith's career in politics began when he was appointed a special United States commissioner to

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, serving in this capacity from 1842 to 1845. He then moved to the

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remain ...

in 1846 and became a minister. In 1850, he ran in the Iowa 1st district special election as an Independent receiving 3.43% of the vote. In 1852 he moved to the

and began editing the '' Oregon Democrat''. In 1854 he was elected to the Territorial House of Representatives. There he served as Speaker of the House during the 1855 to 1856 session. The following session was his last as a representative of Linn County.Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, 1856 Regular Session (8th Territorial)
Retrieved 2016-06-20. In 1857 Smith was a delegate to the state's constitutional convention of that prepared the first constitution in preparation for statehood. Upon Oregon's admission to the Union as the 33rd state, Smith was elected to the Senate, serving from February 14 to March 4, 1859. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election. Less than two years after leaving the Senate, Delazon Smith died in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

on November 19, 1860 at the age of 44 years. His interment was at

Albany, Oregon Albany is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the eleventh largest city in that state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just ...

in the Masonic Cemetery.

Works authored

''A History of Oberlin, or New Lights of the West''.
Cleveland, 1837.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Delazon 1816 births 1860 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians American male journalists American newspaper editors American newspaper founders American proslavery activists Democratic Party United States senators from Oregon Journalists from Ohio Members of the Oregon Constitutional Convention Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature Oberlin College alumni People from Albany, Oregon People from New Berlin, New York Politicians from Dayton, Ohio