Smith was born on December 3, 1841, in
Danby, Vermont. He was the son of
Nathan J. Smith, a store owner and member of the
Vermont General Assembly, and Alzina Button, the daughter of farmer and
Vermont Senate member
Frederick Button. Smith attended the district school and a select school in a neighboring village. In 1857, he began attending
Burr and Burton Seminary. He then went to
Middlebury College, graduating from there in 1863 with the highest honors in his class. He spent a few months studying in the law office of Governor
John Wolcott Stewart of
Middlebury. In the fall of 1865, Smith moved to
Pulaski, New York, where he spent nearly two years as principal of the Pulaski Academy. He studied law in the office of S. C. Huntington, and in 1868 he was admitted to the bar and began working as a lawyer. In 1868, he was elected to the
New York State Assembly as a
Republican, representing the
Oswego County 3rd District. He served in the Assembly in
1869. His funeral was held at his home library. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. Frank H. Ferris, pastor of the Congregational Church Smith was a member of. Ferris and Smith's brother Rev. Walter D. Smith of Yates City, Illinois delivered eulogies. Justice
Irving G. Hubbs was a pallbearer. He was buried in the Pulaski cemetery. == References ==