Edward Curtis Smith (January 5, 1854 – April 6, 1935) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. 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 was most notable for his service as the 47th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

from 1898 to 1900.

Early life

Edward Curtis Smith was born in St. Albans Town, Vermont, on January 5, 1854. The Smith family was one of Vermont's most prominent, with business holdings in railroads, manufacturing and other enterprises. Smith's father J. Gregory Smith served as Governor of Vermont, and his mother Ann Eliza (Brainerd) Smith was a noted author. Smith's uncle Worthington Smith served in Congress. His grandfathers were also involved in politics, with John Smith serving in 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 ...

and

Lawrence Brainerd Lawrence Brainerd (March 16, 1794May 9, 1870) was an American businessman, abolitionist and United States Senator from Vermont. A longtime anti-slavery activist, after leaving the Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonians in the 1830s, Brainerd was act ...

serving in 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 ...

. An uncle by marriage,

Farrand Stewart Stranahan Farrand Stewart Stranahan (February 2, 1842 – July 13, 1904) was an American Civil War veteran, a railroad executive, a banker, and a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. Early life F. Stewart Stranahan was born in Manhattan, New Yo ...

, served as

Lieutenant governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

. Smith attended the schools of St. Albans and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1875, where he was a member of the

Skull and Bones Society Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

. Smith received his

LL.B. 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 ...

degree from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1877, was

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 ...

, and practiced in St. Albans.

Business career

In addition to practicing law, Smith was active in several of the family's businesses. He succeeded his father as president of the

Central Vermont Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

. He was also president of Welden National Bank, and was a founder of People's Trust Bank of St. Albans and the Sherman National Bank in New York City. His other holdings included an ammunition manufacturing company and various mining ventures. In 1876 Smith enlisted in Company D, 1st Vermont Militia Regiment (the Ransom Guards), in which he served for several years. He attained the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

while serving on the military staff of Governor Samuel E. Pingree from 1884 to 1886.

Political career

, Smith was elected as a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1890. He served from 1890 to 1892, and held a leadership role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In 1892 he declined the Republican nomination for Vermont State Senator from Franklin County. He was a delegate to the

1896 Republican National Convention The 1896 Republican National Convention was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was nominated for president on the firs ...

Election as governor

In 1898 Smith received the

nomination for governor. As the Republican nominee in a state that elected only Republicans to statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, Smith easily won the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. He served the single two-year term available to governors under the "

Mountain Rule The governor of Vermont is the U.S. state's head of government. Since 1994, Vermont is one of only two U.S. states (New Hampshire being the other) that elects governors for two-year terms. Until 1870, Vermont elected its governors for one-year ter ...

". As governor, Smith was a strong opponent of all efforts to regulate or tax corporations. In 1899 he officiated at the welcome ceremony in Montpelier for Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

, hero of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and a native of Montpelier. Smith also organized

Old Home Week Old Home Week or Old Home Day is a practice that originated in the New England region of the United States similar to a harvest holiday or festival. In its beginning in the 19th–20th century it involved a municipal effort to invite former resid ...

, the fair and festival designed to celebrate rural life and Vermont roots of Americans living in other states.

Later career

After serving as governor, Smith returned to his railroad, manufacturing and banking interests. Smith was active in lineage societies such as the Society of Colonial Wars and the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

, and in the

Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont His ...

. In 1901 he received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

. Smith died in St. Albans City on April 6, 1935. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans Town.

Family

On October 3, 1888, Smith married Anna Bailey James, the granddaughter of

Amaziah Bailey James Amaziah Bailey James (July 1, 1812 in Stephentown, Rensselaer County, New York – July 6, 1883 in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life His family removed to Sweden, New York in ...

. They were the parents of four children; James Gregory, Edward Fairchild, Curtis Ripley and Anna Dorothea Bradford.

References

External links

Inventory of the Smith Family Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont LibraryEdward C. Smith
at National Governors Association
Entry, Edward Curtis Smith
published in "A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution", published by the society, 1902, page 982
History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont
1891, by Lewis Cass Aldrich, page 715
Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Columbia College
published by the college, 1888, page 221
Vermont, The Land of Green Mountains
published by Vermont Secretary of State, 1913, page 90
Vermont: The Green Mountain State
Walter Hill Crockett, 1921, Volume 4, page 297 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edward Curtis 1854 births 1935 deaths People from St. Albans, Vermont Phillips Academy alumni Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Vermont lawyers Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party governors of Vermont Norwich University alumni