Henry Smith (March 14, 1829 in Cobleskill,

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning ...

– December 1, 1884) was an American lawyer and politician.

Life

He was the son of Thomas Smith, a lawyer. In 1865, he was elected District Attorney of Albany County, and in 1868 he led the prosecution of George W. Cole (brother of

Cornelius Cole Cornelius Cole (September 17, 1822 – November 3, 1924) was an American politician who served a single term in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican representing California from 1863 to 1865, and another term in the United ...

) at his trial for the murder of former state assemblyman

L. Harris Hiscock Luther Harris Hitchcock (May 2, 1824 – June 4, 1867) was a New York attorney, judge, and legislator. He was murdered by George W. Cole, a major general in the American Civil War and brother of Cornelius Cole. Biography Known as L. Harris Hi ...

. In the Summer of 1869, he was illegally arrested with other

Albany and Susquehanna Railroad The Albany and Susquehanna Railroad (A&S) was a broad gauge railroad from Albany to Binghamton, New York, operating 1851 to 1870. It was subsequently leased by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company and later merged into the Delaware and Hudson R ...

executive members during

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...

and Jim Fisk's attempt to buy the railroad. He was a Republican member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

( Albany Co., 2nd D.) in

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

and

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts o ...

; and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

in 1872. During his Speakership he received a large retainer for legal services rendered to the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake ...

at a time when Erie Railroad bills were under debate, which led to accusations that he was bribed to support the bills. The next year a State Senate Investigating Committee probed into this matter. In 1883, he pronounced his opinion that a "People's Party" should be formed by both Democratic and Republican politicians to oppose "corporate interests" and politicians like

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists *John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man * John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

and

John F. Smyth John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Smith died in Albany on December 1, 1884. He was buried at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill.

References

His view on the forming of a new party, in NYT on September 1, 1883

Political Graveyard

Mention in NYT on January 7, 1906

Assemblymen elected for the Session of 1872, in NYT on December 1, 1871

Controversy about his legal services to Erie Railroad, in NYT on October 15, 1872

Proceedings of the State Senate's Erie Railroad Investigation in NYT on March 20, 1873
Google Books
''Murder on Trial 1620-2002'' by Robert Asher, Lawrence B. Goodheart & Alan Rogers (SUNY Press, 2005, )

Obit notice in NYT on December 2, 1884

''Life Sketches of the State Officers, Senators and Members of Assembly in 1867''

Life

References

See also