John Montgomery Smith (February 26, 1834May 14, 1903) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

pioneer. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing Iowa County in the 1893 session, and served four terms as mayor of

Mineral Point, Wisconsin Mineral Point is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,581 at the 2020 census. The city is located within the Town of Mineral Point and is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Mineral Point was settled in 182 ...

. His father,

William Rudolph Smith William Rudolph Smith (August 31, 1787August 22, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from Pennsylvania who served as the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin, the first President of the Wisconsin Historical Society, an ...

, was the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin. In contemporaneous documents, his name was usually abbreviated as

Early life

John Montgomery Smith was born in 1834, in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, and moved to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

with his parents at age 4. They settled in what would become

, where he was raised and educated. In 1852, he went to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

but returned in 1855 and studied law. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1862.

Political career

He became involved with the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...

and was elected to two terms as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Iowa County, Wisconsin Iowa County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709. Its county seat and largest city is Dodgeville. When created, it was part of the Michigan Territory. Iowa County is part of the Madiso ...

, in 1868 and 1870. He was the Democratic nominee for

Attorney General of Wisconsin The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of Wisconsin, government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since statehood. The ...

in 1879, but fell far short of incumbent Republican Alexander Wilson. He was subsequently elected to four terms as mayor of Mineral Point, in 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1885. He was delegate to the

1880 Democratic National Convention The 1880 Democratic National Convention was held June 22 to 24, 1880, at the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, and nominated Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania for president and William H. English of Indiana for vice president in the United St ...

and

1888 Democratic National Convention The 1888 Democratic National Convention was a nominating convention held June 5 to 7, 1888, in the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall in St. Louis, Missouri. It nominated President Grover Cleveland for reelection and former Senator Allen G. ...

. During the first administration of President Grover Cleveland, he negotiated treaties with the Ute Indians and then with the Chippewa Indians. He was elected to the

from the Iowa County district in 1892, but did not stand for re-election in 1894. He ran again in 1896, but lost to Republican incumbent William A. Jones. He died in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in 1903.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General (1879)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1879

Wisconsin Assembly (1892)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1892

Wisconsin Assembly (1896)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1896

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Montgomery 1834 births 1903 deaths People from Bedford County, Pennsylvania People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Politicians from Iowa County, Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers County officials in Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature