Martin Luther Smyser (April 3, 1851 – May 6, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as 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

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Biography

Born on a farm in

Plain Township, Wayne County, Ohio Plain Township is one of the sixteen townships of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,069 people in the township. Geography Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Chester Townsh ...

, Smyser attended the common schools and was graduated from

Wittenberg College Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign cou ...

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, in 1870. He studied law at Wooster under Lyman R. Critchfield. He 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 1872 and practiced in Wooster. In 1873 he entered into partnership with Addison S. McClure. Smyser was elected prosecuting attorney of Wayne County in 1872 and served one term. He served as delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1884 and 1888. Smyser was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first Congress (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Wooster. In 1898, he was appointed to the Fifth Circuit Court by Governor Bushnell upon the death of Judge Julius C. Pomerene. Smyser ran for re-election to a full six-year term later that year, but was defeated in the general election by Democratic nominee Richard M. Voorhees. Smyser was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1907). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1906 to the Sixtieth Congress. He continued the practice of law in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

, until his death in that city May 6, 1908. He was interred in Wooster Cemetery.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smyser, Martin Luther 1851 births 1908 deaths County district attorneys in Ohio Ohio lawyers People from Wayne County, Ohio Wittenberg University alumni People from Wooster, Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives