Smith was born in
West Rutland, Vermont, on August 3, 1868. He graduated from
Dartmouth College in 1891 and served as private secretary to former Vermont Governor
Redfield Proctor when Proctor was
Secretary of War. Active in
banking and
insurance, Smith became President of Marble Savings Bank in 1920. A
Republican, Smith served in the
Vermont State Senate from 1927 to 1931. He was a member of the
Vermont House of Representatives from 1931 to 1933 and was Ways and Means Committee Chairman. He served as
Lieutenant Governor from 1933 to 1935. Smith was
elected Governor in
1934 and served from 1935 to 1937. During his administration, the state legislature approved old age pension and unemployment compensation laws. In December 1936, Smith and other Marble Bank officials were charged with
fraud for failing to inform account holders and authorities about an
embezzlement. In May 1932, Smith had learned that his bank's
bookkeeper had stolen $251,000. Smith let him leave quietly, kept the theft secret, and charged the loss against the bank's surplus. In July 1935, the bookkeeper was named
Rutland's Assistant City Treasurer and planned a candidacy for Treasurer. To prevent this, his opponents leaked word of the theft to the press. The bookkeeper was convicted and jailed, and the bank Treasurer received a suspended sentence and a $400 fine. Charges against most other parties were dismissed, and Smith was acquitted at his trial. ==Personal life==