John Harris Smithwick (July 17, 1872 – December 2, 1948) was an American lawyer and politician who served four terms as a
U.S. 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 c ...
from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
from 1919 to 1927.
Biography
Smithwick was born near
Orange, Georgia and attended the
public schools. He graduated from
Reinhardt Normal College in
Waleska, Georgia
Waleska ( ) is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 644 at the 2010 census.
History
The first white settlement in the Waleska area began in the early 1830s. Among these first pioneer settlers were the Reinhardt, ...
in 1895 and from
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.
History
1842-1861
The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...
's law school in
Lebanon, Tennessee in 1897.
Early career
Admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1898, Smithwick entered
private practice Private practice may refer to:
*Private sector practice
**Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...
in
Moultrie, Georgia
Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County, Georgia, United States. It is the third largest city in Southwest Georgia, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2010 census, Moultrie's population was 14,268. It was originally ...
. He moved to
Pensacola, Florida in 1906.
Congress
Smithwick was elected as 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 ...
to the
66th,
67th,
68th, and
69th Congresses, serving from March 4, 1919, to March 3, 1927.
He was among those injured in the January 1922
Knickerbocker Theatre roof collapse.
Smithwick was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1926, losing the primary election to Tallahassee businessman
Tom Yon.
Later career and retirement
He engaged in the real estate business in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and
Fort Myers, Florida before retiring in 1932 and resided in
Moultrie, Georgia
Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County, Georgia, United States. It is the third largest city in Southwest Georgia, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2010 census, Moultrie's population was 14,268. It was originally ...
.
Death and burial
He died on December 2, 1948. He was interred in Westview Cemetery.
References
External links
*
1872 births
1948 deaths
People from Cherokee County, Georgia
Reinhardt University alumni
Cumberland School of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
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