# John Montgomery Smith

John Montgomery Smith (February 26, 1834 – May 14, 1903) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Iowa County in the 1893 session, and served four terms as mayor of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. His father, William Rudolph Smith, was the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin. In contemporaneous documents, his name was usually abbreviated as J. M. Smith.

## Early life

John Montgomery Smith was born in 1834, in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, and moved to the Wisconsin Territory with his parents at age 4. They settled in what would become Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated. In 1852, he went to California but returned in 1855 and studied law. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1862.

## Political career

He became involved with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and was elected to two terms as district attorney of Iowa County, Wisconsin, in 1868 and 1870. He was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1879, but fell far short of incumbent Republican Alexander Wilson.
He was subsequently elected to four terms as mayor of Mineral Point, in 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1885. He was delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention and 1888 Democratic National Convention. During the first administration of President Grover Cleveland, he negotiated treaties with the Ute Indians and then with the Chippewa Indians.
He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Iowa County district in 1892, but did not stand for re-election in 1894. He ran again in 1896, but lost to Republican incumbent William A. Jones.
He died in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in 1903.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Attorney General (1879)

Wisconsin Attorney General Election, 1879 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 4, 1879 ||||||
| | Republican | Alexander Wilson (incumbent) | 100,562 | 53.43% | +9.17% |
| | Democratic | J. Montgomery Smith | 74,821 | 39.75% | −1.64% |
| | Greenback | Edward Q. Nye | 12,846 | 6.82% | −7.54% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 25,741 | 13.68% | +10.81% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 188,229 | 100.0% | +7.75% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1892)

Wisconsin Assembly, Iowa District Election, 1892 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 8, 1892 ||||||
| | Democratic | John Montgomery Smith | 2,358 | 47.45% | |
| | Republican | Thomas F. Cody | 2,264 | 45.56% | |
| | Prohibition | A. S. Rowe | 347 | 6.98% | |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 94 | 1.89% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,969 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) | Democratic win (new seat) |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1896)

Wisconsin Assembly, Iowa District Election, 1896 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 3, 1896 ||||||
| | Republican | William A. Jones (incumbent) | 3,263 | 61.21% | +6.50% |
| | Democratic | John Montgomery Smith | 2,067 | 38.77% | +1.55% |
| | Independent | N. H. Snow (write-in) | 1 | 0.02% | |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 1,196 | 22.43% | +4.95% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,331 | 100.0% | +3.09% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |