James Stevenson Smart (June 14, 1842 – September 17, 1903) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Early life

Born in

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on June 14, 1842, Smart moved with his parents to Coila, part of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, Washington County, New York, in 1849. He attended Cambridge Academy and

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, and graduated from Jefferson College (now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...

) in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 180 ...

in 1863. While in college, Smart became a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...

fraternity.

Civil War

Smart entered the Union Army in January 1864 as

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the

16th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment The 16th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, U.S. Volunteers was an artillery regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War, but served mostly as infantry. Service Companies organized and mustered in between September 1863 and February ...

. He was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and commander of the regiment's Company K. The regiment took part in action in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, including the

Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War in January 1865. Sometimes referred to as the " ...

and he served until after the war, receiving his discharge in August 1865.

Post Civil War

Smart was a newspaper writer and editor, and became publisher of the Washington County Post. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874. For many years Smart was a member of the

New York Republican State Committee The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York (state), New York State affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, New York, Albany ...

's central committee, and he was a Delegate to several Republican National Conventions. In 1883 he was appointed federal Collector of Internal Revenue for New York's northern district, and he served until 1885, when he was succeeded by Samuel Tilden, Jr., the nephew of Samuel J. Tilden.

Death and burial

He died in Cambridge on September 17, 1903. He was interred in Cambridge's Woodland Cemetery, Section G, Lot 50.New York Veterans Burial Cards, entry for James S. Smart, retrieved December 25, 2013

References

External links

*
James Stevenson Smart
a
''The Political Graveyard''
retrieved December 25, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, James Stevenson 1842 births 1903 deaths People from Cambridge, New York 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Washington & Jefferson College alumni Union army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives