Edmond Leaf Smith (October 23, 1829 – September 11, 1891) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania and Colorado. He served in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, representing Berks County from 1858 to 1859. He also served in the Colorado Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1875.

Early life

Edmond Leaf Smith was born on October 23, 1829, to Margaret (née Bright) and George L. Smith. His father was a mill worker and Democratic politician. His grandfather

Frederick Smith Frederick, Frederic or Fred Smith may refer to: In literature *Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead (1907–1975), British peer and biographer *Frederick Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead (1936–1985), British peer and author * Frederick E. Smith ...

was Pennsylvania Attorney General and associate judge of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Smith graduated from the Reading Academy. He graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1849. He studied law under Henry W. Smith and Edward P. Pearson. He was admitted to the bar of Berks County on November 11, 1851.

Career

Smith was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He served in the

, representing Berks County from 1858 to 1859. In 1861, Smith enlisted as a private with the Ringgold artillery. He transferred to the regular army as a captain on May 14, 1861. He reached the rank of first lieutenant of Company C of the 25th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. He commanded during the Battle of South Mountain, the Peninsula campaign,

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

and at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

. In 1863, he served as corporal of Company H of the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. He was captured during the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between United States, U.S. and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union Army, Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign ...

and was imprisoned at Libby Prison from 1863 to 1864. He escaped via tunnel and was captured twice more. He was then held captive in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. He was paroled and exchanged in October 1864 with the help of his former Georgetown schoolmate Confederate Major Edmund Deslonde. He received a major's brevet for "bravery and meritorious conduct" during the Battle of Chickamauga. He served until the end of the Civil War and resigned his commission in 1867. After his military service, Smith worked with his brother J. Bright Smith in a law practice in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He served in the Colorado Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1875. After his brother retired, Smith practiced law with Judge Ebenezer T. Wells and Thomas Mason in the firm Wells, Smith & Mason. He worked as a lawyer until 1891.

Personal life

Smith lived at 519 Walnut Street in Reading. Smith died on September 11, 1891, at his home in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

. He was interred at Saint Peter the Apostle Church Cemetery in Reading.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edmond L. 1829 births 1891 deaths Politicians from Berks County, Pennsylvania People from Denver Georgetown University alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Colorado lawyers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Army officers American Civil War prisoners of war held by the Confederate States of America Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Members of the Colorado Territorial Legislature 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators