Smith McPherson (February 14, 1848 – January 17, 1915) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (in case citations, S.D. Iowa) has jurisdiction over forty-seven of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Eighth ...

Education and career

Born on February 14, 1848, near Mooresville,

Morgan County, Indiana Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 68,894. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Martinsville. Morgan County is between Indianapolis, in Marion Coun ...

, McPherson attended the common schools and Mooresville Academy. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1870 from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or U ...

. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in

Red Oak The genus Oak, ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many List of the largest genera of flowering plants, large genera, is Taxonomic rank#Ranks in botany, divided into subgenus, subgen ...

from 1870 to 1874. He was district attorney for the Third Judicial District of Iowa from 1874 to 1880. He was

Attorney General of Iowa The Attorney General of Iowa is the chief legal officer of the State of Iowa, United States. The office was created February 9, 1853. The Office of the Attorney General is housed in the Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines; the attorney ge ...

from 1881 to 1885. He resumed private practice in Red Oak from 1885 to 1899.

Congressional service

In August 1898, McPherson defeated incumbent congressman

Alva L. Hager Alva Lysander Hager (October 29, 1850 – January 29, 1923) was a three-term Republican Party (United States), Republican United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Iowa's 9th congressional district in the 1890s. Biograp ...

and two others in the race for the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination in Iowa's 9th congressional district. For several days, no candidate received the required number of votes, but McPherson prevailed on the 618th ballot, after Hager threw his support to him. McPherson was then elected to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the

56th United States Congress The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

and served from March 4, 1899, until his resignation on June 6, 1900, to accept a federal judicial post.

Federal judicial service

McPherson was nominated by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

on April 3, 1900, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John Simson Woolson John Simson Woolson (December 6, 1840 – December 4, 1899) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Education and career Born in Tonawanda, New York, Woolson received an Artiu ...

. He was confirmed by 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 ...

on May 7, 1900, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 17, 1915, due to his death in Red Oak. He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Red Oak.

Notable case

In McPherson's final year on the bench, he upheld the constitutionality of Iowa's

workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

statute against an attack by an employer alleging that it violated due process.''Hawkins v. Bleakley'', 228 F. 378 (S.D. Iowa 1914).

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McPherson, Smith 1848 births 1915 deaths Iowa Attorneys General Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley University of Iowa College of Law alumni Iowa state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Mooresville, Indiana 19th-century American politicians