Abraham Hyatt Smith (February 5, 1814 – October 16, 1892) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 5th Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, the 2nd United States Attorney for the District of Wisconsin, and the first mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin. In historical documents his name is almost always abbreviated as A. Hyatt Smith.

A. Hyatt Smith
1st and 5th Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin
In office
April 1857 – April 1858
Preceded byJohn J. R. Pease
Succeeded byWilliam A. Lawrence
In office
April 1853 – April 1854
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJ. Bodwell Doe
United States Attorney for the District of Wisconsin
In office
1848–1849
Appointed byJames K. Polk
Preceded byThomas W. Sutherland
Succeeded byGeorge W. Lakin
5th Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory
In office
January 22, 1846 – June 7, 1848
Appointed byHenry Dodge
Preceded byWilliam Pitt Lynde
Succeeded byJames S. Brown
(state government)
Personal details
Born
Abraham Hyatt Smith

(1814-02-05)February 5, 1814
New York City, US
DiedOctober 16, 1892(1892-10-16) (aged 78)
Janesville, Wisconsin, US
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Janesville, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Ann Margaret Cooper (Kelley)
(m. 1838; died 1885)
Children
  • Minnie C. Smith
  • (b. 1841; died 1913)
  • William Hyatt Smith
  • (b. 1842; died 1843)
  • Fanny F. Smith
  • (b. 1842; died 1843)
  • J. Maurice Smith
  • (b. 1845; died 1926)
  • Anna Kate (Patterson)
  • (b. 1853; died 1914)
Professionlawyer, politician

Biography

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Born in New York City, Smith studied law and was admitted to the New York bar in 1835. In 1842, he moved to Janesville, Wisconsin Territory, where he built a mill and practiced law. Smith served as a delegate to the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846 as a representative of Rock County. In 1847, Wisconsin Territorial Governor Henry Dodge appointed Smith as the Attorney General of the Territory serving until Wisconsin became a state in 1848. In 1848, President James Polk appointed Smith as the United States District Attorney serving until 1849. In 1853, Smith was elected first Mayor of Janesville after its incorporation as a city. He later served as Mayor again in 1857. He was also involved with the railroad industry and other forms of communication.[1][2] For some years, he was Regent for the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

References

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  1. ^ "Smith, Abraham Hyatt 1814 - 1892". www.wisconsinhistory.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07.
  2. ^ 'The convention of 1846,' Milo Milton Quaife, The Wisconsin Historical Society:1918, Biographical Sketch of Abraham Hyatt Smith, p. 790
Political offices
City incorporated Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin
April 1853 – April 1854
Succeeded by
J. Bodwell Doe
Preceded by
John J. R. Pease
Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin
April 1857 – April 1858
Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory
January 22, 1846 – June 7, 1848
Succeeded by
James S. Brown
(state government)
Preceded by United States Attorney for the District of Wisconsin
1848–1849
Succeeded by