Henry Kendall Smith (1811–1854) was Mayor of the City of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, serving 1850–1851. He was born on April 2, 1811, in

St. Croix, Virgin Islands Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

. In 1819, he was sent to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, for education and then moved to New York City in 1828. Shortly thereafter he moved to

Johnstown, New York Johnstown is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York. The city was named after its founder, Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York and a major general during the Seve ...

, to study law, opening a practice in 1832. In 1833, he moved to Buffalo and began a legal partnership with

Israel T. Hatch Israel Thompson Hatch (June 30, 1808 – September 24, 1875) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1857 to 1859. Biography He was born in Johnstown, New York on June 30, 1808. ...

. He married Miss Voorhees of Johnstown in 1834; she died shortly thereafter and he remarried in June 1848, to Sally Ann Thompson, daughter of ex-Mayor

Sheldon Thompson Sheldon Thompson (1785–1851) was mayor of Buffalo, New York, serving in 1840–1841. He was born in Derby, Connecticut on July 2, 1785. In early 1810, he moved to Lewiston, New York where he entered into the shipbuilding business and mercantile ...

. He was appointed

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for Erie County in December 1836. At the outbreak of the

Patriot War The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decembe ...

he was made captain of one of the companies of citizen volunteers. In 1848, he was appointed Postmaster of Buffalo. On March 5, 1850, the local elections were held and

Locofoco The Locofocos (also Loco Focos or Loco-focos) were a faction of the Democratic Party in American politics that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s. History The faction, originally named the Equal Rights Party, was created in New York City as a ...

candidate Henry K. Smith was elected. During his term, he supported various civic improvements. His term ended on March 11, 1851. After leaving office, he continued his law partnership and died on September 23, 1854. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

References

1811 births 1854 deaths Mayors of Buffalo, New York Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) New York (state) Democrats American people of United States Virgin Islands descent 19th-century American politicians Erie County District Attorneys {{BuffaloNY-stub