William M. Smith (May 23, 1827 – March 25, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 24th

Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives is seventh (behind the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and President of the Senate, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Go ...

. A

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 ...

, he held the position from 1871 until 1873.

Life and political career

Smith was born May 23, 1827, in

Franklin County, Kentucky Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,541. Its county seat is Frankfort, the state capital. The county was formed in 1795 from parts of Woodford, Mercer and Shelby cou ...

, before moving to

McLean County, Illinois McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 169,572. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolita ...

. He was involved in Republican politics since the founding of the party and was unafraid to espouse his anti-slavery beliefs. He was a delegate at the Illinois State Republican convention in 1860 and nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. He was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1866, 1868, and 1870. He fiercely opposed the policies of

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

, and was known to Illinois newspapers as "The Duke of Lexington" due to his strong personality. He spent his last two years in the legislature as

. After

Shelby M. Cullom Shelby Moore Cullom (November 22, 1829 – January 28, 1914) was a U.S. political figure, serving in various offices, including the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate and the 17th Governor of Illinois. Life and ca ...

was elected

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

he appointed Smith to the board of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission, where he remained until ill health compelled him to resign. Smith resided in

Lexington, Illinois Lexington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,090 at the 2020 census. There are two theories regarding the etymology of the city name. One says it was named for the Battle of Lexington, where General Gridley' ...

, where he farmed and dealt in cattle. He was a member of the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

and was married to Nancy Hopkins with whom he had one daughter.

Death

On March 25, 1886, Smith committed suicide by gunshot in a barn on his farm.

References

Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives Members of the Illinois House of Representatives 1827 births 1886 deaths {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub