Edward Curtis Smith (January 5, 1854 – April 6, 1935) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as the 47th governor of Vermont from 1898 to 1900.
Edward Curtis Smith | |
|---|---|
 The Vermonter magazine, July 1, 1898 | |
| 47th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 6, 1898 – October 4, 1900 | |
| Lieutenant | Henry C. Bates |
| Preceded by | Josiah Grout |
| Succeeded by | William W. Stickney |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from St. Albans Town | |
| In office 1890–1892 | |
| Preceded by | Henry M. Stevens |
| Succeeded by | William H. Hunt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 5, 1854 St. Albans Town, Vermont |
| Died | April 6, 1935 (aged 81) St. Albans City, Vermont |
| Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery, St. Albans Town, Vermont |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Anna Bailey James |
| Education | Yale University AB, 1875 Columbia Law School LL.B., 1877 |
| Profession | Attorney Businessman |
Early life
editEdward Curtis Smith was born in St. Albans Town, Vermont, on January 5, 1854.[1] The Smith family was one of Vermont's most prominent, with business holdings in railroads, manufacturing and other enterprises.[2] Smith's father J. Gregory Smith served as Governor of Vermont,[2] and his mother Ann Eliza (Brainerd) Smith was a noted author.[3]
Smith's uncle Worthington Smith served in Congress.[4] His grandfathers were also involved in politics, with John Smith serving in the United States House of Representatives[2] and Lawrence Brainerd serving in the United States Senate.[4] An uncle by marriage, Farrand Stewart Stranahan, served as Lieutenant governor of Vermont.[4]
Smith attended the schools of St. Albans and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.[1] He graduated from Yale University in 1875, where he was a member of the Skull and Bones Society.[5] Smith received his LL.B. degree from Columbia Law School in 1877, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in St. Albans.[1]
Business career
editIn addition to practicing law, Smith was active in several of the family's businesses.[1] He succeeded his father as president of the Central Vermont Railroad.[1] He was also president of Welden National Bank, and was a founder of People's Trust Bank of St. Albans and the Sherman National Bank in New York City.[1] His other holdings included an ammunition manufacturing company and various mining ventures.[1]
In 1876 Smith enlisted in Company D, 1st Vermont Militia Regiment (the Ransom Guards), in which he served for several years.[1] He attained the rank of colonel while serving on the military staff of Governor Samuel E. Pingree from 1884 to 1886.[1]
Political career
editA Republican, Smith was elected as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1890.[1] He served from 1890 to 1892, and held a leadership role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.[1] In 1892 he declined the Republican nomination for Vermont State Senator from Franklin County.[1] He was a delegate to the 1896 Republican National Convention.[1]
Election as governor
editIn 1898 Smith received the Republican nomination for governor.[1] As the Republican nominee in a state that elected only Republicans to statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, Smith easily won the general election.[6][7] He served the single two-year term available to governors under the "Mountain Rule".[7]
As governor, Smith was a strong opponent of all efforts to regulate or tax corporations.[8] In 1899 he officiated at the welcome ceremony in Montpelier for Admiral George Dewey, hero of the Spanish–American War and a native of Montpelier.[9] Smith also organized Old Home Week, the fair and festival designed to celebrate rural life and Vermont roots of Americans living in other states.[10]
Later career
edit
After serving as governor, Smith returned to his railroad, manufacturing and banking interests.[1][4] Smith was active in lineage societies such as the Society of Colonial Wars and the Sons of the American Revolution, and in the Vermont Historical Society.[1] In 1901 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Norwich University.[1]
Smith died in St. Albans City on April 6, 1935.[11] He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.[11]
Family
editOn October 3, 1888, Smith married Anna Bailey James, the granddaughter of Amaziah Bailey James.[1] They were the parents of four children; James Gregory, Edward Fairchild, Curtis Ripley and Anna Dorothea Bradford.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Ellis, William Arba (1911). Norwich University, 1819-1911; Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor. Vol. 3. Montpelier, VT: Capital City Press. pp. 548–549 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Hall, Henry, ed. (1896). America's Successful Men of Affairs. Vol. II. New York, NY: The New York Tribune. pp. 730–732 – via Google Books.
- ^ Haynes, L. Louise; Pedersen, Charlotte (2010). Images of America: St. Albans. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7385-7346-5 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d Carleton, Hiram (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. II. New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 52–56, 415 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1934–1935" (PDF). Yale University. October 15, 1935. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "General Election Results, Governor, 1898". Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Hand, Samuel B. (2003). "Mountain Rule Revisited" (PDF). Vermont History. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Historical Society. pp. 140, 143.
- ^ Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H., eds. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. p. 271. ISBN 978-1-5846-5086-7 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Vermont's Dewey Celebration". The Vermonter. St. Albans, VT: Charles Spooner Forbes. October 1, 1899. p. 55 – via Google Books.
- ^ "To Bring Back Absent Vermonters". Middlebury Register. Middlebury, VT. May 12, 1899. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Services Held for Edward C. Smith". Brattleboro Reformer. Brattleboro, VT. Associated Press. April 8, 1935. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Inventory of the Smith Family Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library
- Edward C. Smith at National Governors Association
- Entry, Edward Curtis Smith, published in "A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution", published by the society, 1902, page 982
- History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont, 1891, by Lewis Cass Aldrich, page 715
- Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Columbia College, published by the college, 1888, page 221
- Vermont, The Land of Green Mountains, published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1913, page 90
- Vermont: The Green Mountain State, Walter Hill Crockett, 1921, Volume 4, page 297