August E. Smith (August 27, 1879 – January 30, 1969) was an American educator, businessman, and politician. Born in Berlin, Wisconsin, Smith graduated from

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1901. He was the principal at Cashton High School in

Cashton, Wisconsin Cashton is a village in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,158 at the 2020 census. History The settlement began in 1854 when Thompson Hazen established an inn at a nearby bend in the stagecoach road from Prairie du Chie ...

and taught at the Viroqua High School in Viroqua, Wisconsin. He married Edith Ogden (1887–1955) in 1905. He was the first principal of the Vernon County Teachers College from 1907 to 1920, and was in the insurance business. By 1924 Smith had established a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, and used his insurance office in Viroqua as headquarters. Smith served on the Viroqua Common Council and was mayor of the city. Smith served in 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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

from 1923 to 1929 and was a Republican. Smith was an assistant secretary to Wisconsin Governor

Fred R. Zimmerman Frederick Robert Zimmerman (November 20, 1880December 14, 1954) was a German American politician from Milwaukee, who served as the 25th Governor of Wisconsin. He served before and after his governorship as Wisconsin Secretary of State—for ...

and was executive secretary of the Wisconsin Good Roads Association. Smith died in Viroqua, Wisconsin in a nursing home.August E. Smith, Ex-Legislator, Dies in Viroqua, ''Wisconsin State Journal'', January 31, 1969, section 2, p. 6.

Notes

1879 births 1969 deaths People from Berlin, Wisconsin People from Viroqua, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Educators from Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Mayors of places in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Republican-1870s-stub