Alonzo Greene Smith (6 September 1848 – 6 August 1907) was a politician from the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Between 1886 and 1889 he served as acting Lieutenant Governor of Indiana.

Life

Alonzo Smith was born in Meigs County in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. There is not much information available about his youth. He completed the majority of his education at

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s in addition to supplemental courses at Franklin College. In 1867, Smith moved to

North Vernon North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,608 as of the 2020 census. History North Vernon was originally called Tripton, sometimes referred to as “The Gem of the Midwest” and under the latter na ...

, and began practicing law. He joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and was elected to the Indiana Senate, where he became the President Pro Tempore. In 1886 and 1887 there was a political dispute in Indiana between the Democratic and the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. It started when Governor

Isaac P. Gray Isaac Pusey Gray (October 18, 1828 – February 14, 1895) was the List of governors of Indiana, 18th and 20th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1880 to 1881 and from 1885 to 1889. Originally a Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

announced that he wanted to be elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by the Indiana General Assembly. This led to the so-called Black Day of the Indiana General Assembly on 24 February 1887. The Democratic controlled State Senate refused to seat the newly elected Lieutenant Governor Robert S. Robertson (Republican) ignoring a decision of the Supreme Court of Indiana. When Robertson entered the Senate chamber, a group of Democratic Senators attacked him. This led to a fight between Democratic and Republican State Senators. Shortly afterwards the fight continued in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

. Democratic and Republican State Representatives and State Senators continued to attack each other. After about four hours strong police forces were able to reestablish order in the building. The result of this was that Governor Gray gave up his plan to run for the

and Robertson was still not seated as Lieutenant Governor. At that point the

President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

of the State Senate, Alonzo Smith, who was already acting Lieutenant Governor since 8 November 1886 when he replaced

Mahlon Dickerson Manson Mahlon Dickerson Manson (February 20, 1820 – February 4, 1895) was a druggist, Indiana politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. Biography Manson was born in Piqua, Ohio, to David Manson, Jr., and Sarah Cornwall. He was a ...

who had retired, was permanently assigned to this office. He served in this position until 14 January 1889 when the term ended. Between 1890 and 1894 Smith was the State attorney general of Indiana. He died on 6 August 1907 in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Literature

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

: ''Annual Report: Including Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, : Volume 31'', E.C. Markley & Son, Philadelphia, 1907, P. 771. * ''Los Angeles Herald. : Volume 34, Number 309,'' Herald Pub. Co., Los Angeles, Calif., 6. August 1907, P. 2. * ''Law Notes. : Volume 11,'' E. Thompson Co., Northport, N.Y., 1908, P. 115.

References

External links

Smith as Attorney General of Indiana at Ballotpedia

Footnotes about Smith in Indiana History and Government

Article about the political disruptions in Indiana in the 1880s
1848 births 1907 deaths Democratic Party Indiana state senators Lieutenant governors of Indiana Indiana attorneys general 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators People from Meigs County, Ohio 19th-century Indiana politicians {{Indiana-politician-stub