William E. Smith (June 18, 1824February 13, 1883) was an American merchant and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Wisconsin, the 5th State Treasurer of Wisconsin, and the 21st Speaker of 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, ...

. He also served four years in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing Dodge County. In business, he was the co-founder of Smith, Roundy & Co., which became the supermarket chain Roundy's.

Early life

Smith was born in Inverness,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, in 1824, the son of Alexander and Sarah (Grant) Smith. He immigrated to the United States with his family as a child, and lived with his family in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He attended the common schools before working as a store clerk when he was 17. In 1846 he went to work for

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

, and the following year he went to work for a wholesale company. In 1849 he moved to

Fox Lake, Wisconsin Fox Lake is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,519 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is located within the Fox Lake (town), Wisconsin, Town of Fox Lake. History E ...

, to become a partner in a mercantile firm.

Political career

He held several political position in Wisconsin and served two terms in the

beginning in 1851, including serving as speaker during the second term. Originally a Whig, he helped organize the new Republican Party in 1854. He served two terms in the

from 1858 to 1865. Smith was

Wisconsin state treasurer The State Treasurer of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Thirty-six individuals have held the office of State Treasurer since statehood. The incumbent is Sarah Godlewsk ...

from 1866 to 1870. He was again elected to the State Assembly in 1871. He was a member of the board of regents of normal schools from 1858 to 1876, and director of the state prison from 1874 to 1878. In 1872, Smith moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

and co-founded the Roundy's supermarket chain. He was elected governor in 1877 and served two terms from 1878 to 1882. He died on February 13, 1883, in Milwaukee and is interred at

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and ...

in Milwaukee.

Family life

Smith and his wife Mary Booth were married in Michigan in 1849. They had four children.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1870)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1870

Wisconsin Governor (1877, 1879)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1877 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1879

References

External links

National Governors Association

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William E. 1824 births 1883 deaths Baptists from Wisconsin Governors of Wisconsin State treasurers of Wisconsin Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state senators Scottish emigrants to the United States People from Inverness People from Fox Lake, Wisconsin Wisconsin Whigs 19th-century American politicians Republican Party governors of Wisconsin 19th-century American merchants Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century Baptists