Dietrich Conrad Smith (April 4, 1840 – April 18, 1914) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Biography

Born in

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, (currently

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

), Smith immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Pekin, Illinois, about 1850. He attended the public schools of Pekin, Illinois, and Quincy College (now

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as lieutenant in Company I, Eighth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He left the service as captain of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was an organizer of the German College at Mount Pleasant in 1874. He served as member of board of trustees of that institution for many years. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1876-1878. He engaged in banking and manufacturing and also in the construction and management of railroads in Illinois. Smith was elected as a Republican to the

Forty-seventh Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. ) , image_sk ...

(March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882 to the

Forty-eighth Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883, ...

. He again engaged in banking. He died in Pekin, Illinois, April 18, 1914. He was interred in Lakeside Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Dietrich Conrad 1840 births 1914 deaths People from Pekin, Illinois Quincy University alumni Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Union Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians German emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Illinois