William E. Smith (politician)
William E. Smith | |
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Michael Adams | |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Dodge 5th district | |
| In office January 8, 1851 – January 14, 1852 | |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Sellers |
| Succeeded by | Horace Patch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 18, 1824 Inverness, Scotland |
| Died | February 13, 1883 (aged 58) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee |
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| Spouses |
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| Parents |
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| Profession | merchant, politician |
William E. Smith (June 18, 1824 – February 13, 1883) was an American merchant and politician who served as the 14th
Wisconsin State Senate, 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, 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 and Michigan.[1] He attended the common schools before working as a store clerk when he was 17. In 1846 he went to work for Lord & Taylor, and the following year he went to work for a wholesale company. In 1849 he moved to Fox Lake, Wisconsin, to become a partner in a mercantile firm.[2]
Political career
He held several political position in Wisconsin and served two terms in the
Wisconsin State Senate from 1858 to 1865. Smith was Wisconsin state treasurer from 1866 to 1870. He was again elected to the State Assembly in 1871.[1] 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.[4]
In 1872, Smith moved to
Milwaukee and co-founded the Roundy's supermarket chain.[5] He was elected governor in 1877 and served two terms from 1878 to 1882.[1]
He died on February 13, 1883, in Milwaukee[4] and is interred at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee.[6]
Family life
Smith and his wife Mary Booth were married in Michigan in 1849. They had four children.[7]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (1870)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1870 | |||||
| Republican | William E. Smith | 736 | 56.27% | ||
| Democratic | Ebenezer B. Jones | 572 | 43.73% | ||
| Plurality | 164 | 12.54% | |||
| Total votes | '1,308' | '100.0%' | |||
Republican hold
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Wisconsin Governor (1877, 1879)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 1877 | |||||
| Republican | William E. Smith | 78,759 | 44.22% | -5.85% | |
| Democratic | James A. Mallory | 70,486 | 39.57% | -10.00% | |
| Greenback | Edward P. Allis | 26,216 | 14.72% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Collin M. Campbell | 2,176 | 1.22% | ||
| Scattering | 485 | 0.27% | |||
| Plurality | 8,273 | 4.64% | +4.15% | ||
| Total votes | '178,122' | '100.0%' | +4.73% | ||
Republican hold
| |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1879 | |||||
| Republican | William E. Smith (incumbent) | 100,535 | 53.19% | +8.98% | |
| Democratic | James Graham Jenkins | 75,030 | 39.70% | +0.13% | |
| Greenback | Reuben May | 12,996 | 6.88% | -7.84% | |
| Scattering | 444 | 0.23% | |||
| Plurality | 25,505 | 13.49% | +8.85% | ||
| Total votes | '189,005' | '100.0%' | +6.11% | ||
Republican hold
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See also
- List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
References
- ^ a b c "Smith, William E. 1824 - 1883". Retrieved 2012-10-28.
- ^ Legislative Reference Bureau (1960). The Wisconsin Blue Book. Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 124.
- ^ "William E. Smith". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Johnson, Rossiter and Brown, John Howard (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Biographical Society. p. 1.
William E. Smith married Mary Booth 1849.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Dexter-Roundy family papers, 1772-1951
- ^ "Historical People". Forest Home Cemetery. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "On This Day: September 6". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "Official directory". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 374. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2005). "History Statistics". State of Wisconsin 2005-2006 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 721. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
External links
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