Alexander C. "Aleck" Smith (c. 1838 – May 9, 1875) was a justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court from 1863 to 1866.
Born in Jacksonville, Illinois,[1][2] Smith reportedly "read law somewhere in the West",[3] and "traveled to the Washington Territory in the 1850's where he served for a short time as a prosecuting attorney".[1][2] He married the daughter of Anson G. Henry, who was then surveyor-general of the Washington Territory, and a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln.[2]
Henry visited Washington, D.C., in the spring of 1863 where Lincoln insisted that he stay and accompany him in a visit of the Army of the Potomac.[4] Henry secured Smith's appointment to the territorial supreme court at this time.[2] Smith was appointed to the seat on March 10, 1863,[5] and the appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate the following day.[6] Smith "was only twenty-five at the time of his appointment and was assigned to cover the First District by Governor William H. Wallace".[2] However, Smith's "inexperience and reputation for hard-drinking raised the ire of many in the territory, so much so that he was removed from office in 1866".[1]
Following his ouster from the court, it was reported that Smith had moved to Vancouver, Washington Territory, to practice law.[7] He died of consumption in Kalama, Washington Territory, on May 9, 1875.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b c Williams, Bradley B. "Idaho's First Territorial Judges" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e Debora K. Kristensen, "The First 50 Men In Idaho Law, The Advocate (October 2010), p. 54.
- ^ Ronald H. Limbaugh, "Idaho Territory", in Ralph Y. McGinnis, Calvin N. Smith, eds., Abraham Lincoln and the Western Territories (1994), p. 143.
- ^ "The Politicians: Anson G. Henry (1804-1865)". Mr. Lincoln & Friends. The Lehrman Institute. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ Weldon Brinton Heyburn, Idaho Laws and Decisions, Annotated and Digested (1900), p. vii.
- ^ "Nominations Confirmed", The New York Times (March 11, 1863), p. 5.
- ^ The Idaho Statesman (December 19, 1867), p. 3.
- ^ "Departed". Washington Standard. May 15, 1875.
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