Smith Mead Weed (July 26, 1833 – June 7, 1920) was a Democratic lawyer and businessman from

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The population of the sur ...

, who served as a 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 Ass ...

from 1865 to 1867, in 1871, and again in 1873 and 1874. A native of

Bellmont, New York Bellmont is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county and is southeast of Malone. The population was 1,434 at the 2010 census. The town is named after William Bell, a major landowner in ...

, Weed was an 1857 graduate of

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. After attaining admission to the bar, he settled in the village of Plattsburgh, where he practiced law and became involved in businesses including lumber, mines, and railroads. He served in the

in 1865, 1866, 1867, 1871, 1873 and 1874. In 1871, Weed's opposition to the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

Democratic organization caused a pro-Tammany Assembly member to assault him; the member resigned rather than face expulsion. Weed attended several Democratic National Conventions as a delegate and was a supporter of Samuel J. Tilden for president in 1876 and 1880. During the controversy that followed the disputed 1876 election, Weed was accused of attempting to bribe election officials in contested states in order to procure their support for Tilden. Weed was a candidate for U.S. Senate three times; when Republicans held state legislative majorities in 1887 and 1905, Weed was nominated by Democrats as an honor, and lost to the Republican nominees. When Democrats held a legislative majority in 1891, Weed expected to be the nominee and win election to the Senate, but deferred to incumbent Governor David B. Hill, who went on to win the seat. Weed died on

Valcour Island Valcour Island is a island in Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York, United States. The island is mostly in the Town of Peru and partly in the Town of Plattsburgh, southeast of the City of Plattsburgh. It is within the boundaries of the ...

on June 7, 1920, and was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh.

Early life

Smith M. Weed was born in

, on July 26, 1833, the son of Roswell Alcott Weed and Sarah A. Mead. He was educated in

Franklin County, New York Franklin County is a County (United States), county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. To the north across the Canada–United States border are the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, from east to ...

, studied law with Judge George Mather Beckwith, and attended

, from which he graduated in 1857. 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 ...

and practiced in the village of Plattsburgh. In addition, he became active in local politics and government, including several terms as village president. Weed was also active in numerous business ventures, including lumber, mining, and railroads.

Political career

Weed was a member of the

from

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

in 1865, 1866, 1867, 1871, 1873 and 1874 (the 88th, 89th, and

90th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

legislatures, and 94th, 96th and 97th legislatures). In 1867, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. In 1871, Weed's opposition to the

Democratic organization led to an assault on Weed by James Irving, a pro-Tammany member of the Assembly; Irving chose to resign in order to prevent being expelled. A supporter of Samuel J. Tilden, Weed was a delegate to the

1876 Democratic National Convention The 1876 Democratic National Convention assembled in St. Louis just nine days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first political convention held west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis was no ...

. In the dispute that followed the 1876 election, Weed was accused of attempting to bribe election officials in the disputed states to award their electoral votes to Tilden. Weed was also a delegate to the 1880 convention and the one in 1884. He was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in the January 1887 election. Republicans controlled the state legislature, and he lost to Republican Frank Hiscock. In 1890, Weed was a prominent organizer and financial supporter of his party's effort to take control of the state legislature. With a narrow minority in the State Senate but a small majority in the Assembly, the Democrats were positioned to elect on a joint ballot one of their own to the US Senate in 1891 as the successor to William M. Evarts. Weed expected to be his party's candidate, but agreed to withdraw if Governor David B. Hill desired the nomination. Hill decided to run; Weed withdrew as a candidate, and Hill won the Senate seat. Weed was the Democratic US Senate nominee again in 1905; Republicans controlled the legislature, and reelected

Chauncey Depew Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834April 5, 1928) was an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician. He is best remembered for his two terms as United States Senator from New York and for his work for Cornelius Vanderbilt, a ...

Death and burial

He died on

on June 7, 1920 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh.

Family

In 1859, Weed married Catherine L. Standish (1836-1885), a descendant of

Myles Standish Myles Standish ( – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonist. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United States by the Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony), Pilgrims. Standish accompan ...

. They were the parents of five children - Roswell Alcott, George Standish, Margaret Celeste, Caroline, Katherine Miller, and Standish Kellogg.

Legacy

Plattsburgh's Smith Weed Bridge is named for Weed, as are the city's Weed Street and Weed Street Extension. Weed's former home at the corner of Sailly Avenue and City Hall Place still stands. It is privately owned, and is the location of a local law firm's offices.

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weed, Smith Mead 1833 births 1920 deaths Harvard Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers Businesspeople from New York (state) Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Plattsburgh, New York 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature