Worthington Curtis Smith (April 23, 1823 – January 2, 1894) was an American politician and railroad president. He served 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

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 ...

, and was the son of John Smith, of

, a U.S. Representative from Vermont.

Early life

Smith was born in

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

Franklin County, Vermont Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,946. Its county seat is the city of St. Albans. It borders the Canadian province of Quebec. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...

to John Smith and Maria Curtis Smith. He pursued classical studies and was a member of the

Lambda Iota Society Lambda Iota Society () was a local fraternity at the University of Vermont until it merged with Pi Kappa Phi in 2018. History Lambda Iota was founded on at the University of Vermont. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homep ...

at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

where he graduated in 1843. Smith studied law with his father but did not practice.

Career

Smith was involved in the iron trade, and from 1845 until 1860 he engaged in the manufacture of railroad supplies in the iron foundries located in Plattsburgh and St. Albans. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Smith assisted in raising the 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment. Smith served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1863. He was a member of the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

in 1864 and 1865, and was unanimously elected President pro tempore in 1865. He was the president of the Vermont National Bank from 1864 until 1870. Smith was elected as 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 ...

candidate to the Fortieth, Forty-first, and Forty-second Congresses, serving from March 4, 1867 until March 3, 1873. In Congress he served as chairman of the Committees of Banking and Currency, Manufactures and Weights and Measures. Smith served as president of the St. Albans Foundry Company. He was director, and later president, of the

Vermont and Canada 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 ...

, and vice-president of the

Central Vermont Railway 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, Connect ...

. From 1868 until 1892 he was a member of the corporation of the University of Vermont.

Personal life

Smith married Katherine M. Walworth on January 12, 1850. They had five children together, including F. Walworth Smith, member of the

Colorado State Senate The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123,0 ...

, and W. Tracy Smith, vice-president and treasurer of the St. Albans Foundry Company. Worthington C. Smith was the brother of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

J. Gregory Smith and uncle of Governor Edward Curtis Smith. Smith's daughter Katherine Maria Smith (1851-1935) was the wife of businessman

William Walker Scranton William Walker Scranton (April 4, 1844 – December 3, 1916) was an American businessman based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He became president and manager of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company after his father's death in 1872. The company ...

(1844-1916). Their son Worthington Scranton (1876-1955) was the father of

William Scranton William Warren Scranton (July 19, 1917 – July 28, 2013) was an American Republican Party politician and diplomat. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967, and as United States Ambassador to the United Nations fr ...

, who served as Governor of Pennsylvania. The genealogical line for William Scranton runs from John Smith (great-great-grandfather) to Worthington C. Smith (great-grandfather) to Katherine Maria Smith Scranton (grandmother) to Worthington Scranton (father) to William Scranton.

Death

Smith died in St. Albans, Vermont on January 2, 1894. He is interred in Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.

References

External links