Ephraim Knight Smart (September 3, 1813 – September 29, 1872) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Early life

Smart was born in Prospect, Massachusetts) on September 3, 1813. He attended the common schools, completed preparatory studies under private tutors, and attended

Maine Wesleyan Seminary Kents Hill School (also known as Kents Hill or KHS) is a co-educational, independent college-preparatory school for boarding and day students. Kents Hill is located in Kents Hill, Maine, 12 miles west of the state capital of Augusta, Maine, Aug ...

. He studied law, 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 ...

and commenced practice in Camden.

Career

Smart was appointed postmaster in Camden in 1838. He was elected a member of the

Maine State Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

. He was appointed aide-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant colonel on the staff of Governor Fairfield in 1842. Smart moved to

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in 1843 and continued the practice of his profession. He returned to Camden the following year, resumed the practice of law, and was again appointed postmaster. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849) and to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853). After retirement, he served as collector of customs at

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

1853-1858. He established the Maine Free Press in 1854, and served as editor for three years. He was elected a member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

in 1858, and was an unsuccessful candidate for

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

in 1860. He again served in the State Senate, moved to

Biddeford Biddeford ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddefo ...

and established the Maine Democrat.

Death

Smart died in Camden on September 29, 1872. He was interred at Mountain Street Cemetery.

References

External links

*''Incorporates information from the public domain website of the Bioguide of the US Congress''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Ephraim K. 1813 births 1872 deaths Democratic Party Maine state senators People from Camden, Maine People from Prospect, Maine Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Kents Hill School alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Maine Legislature