Litchfield enquirer., 1860-05-31
Sketches of the Early Lights of the Litchfeld Bar.
 No XII
JOHN COTTON SMITH.

To Me Elitor of Me Litc1tield Enquirer:
 SIR: At your request, now inform you, that the Hon. John Cotton Smith, only son of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith of Sharon, was born there on the l2th day of February, 1765. It is said that for the first six years of his life his in- struction and training was almost wholly con- ducted by his excellent mother, and to her gov ernment and precepts he is said to have attribu- ted much of his extraordinary success in life. His common school education, as exhibited in accurate kind His classical instruction prepara- tory to entering college, was commenced at home, and completed under the tuition of the Rev. MT. Brinsmade of Washington. He entered Yale College in September, l779, when between four teen and fifteen years of age, and though young, maintained high standing in his class, as ap- peared by the share he had in the exercises of the commencement at his graduation, the ap- pointees being less than one-fourth of the entire class. Immediately after his graduation in Sep tember 1783, he entered as law student in the
 
 town, and there continued until he could be by law admitted to the Bar, which was in the March term, l786, month after coming to twenty-one years of age: and MT. Garfield, his legal precep- tor, having died a few months after his admis- sion to the Bar, large portion of business for long time habitually flowing for management to MT. Canfeld's office, he having for many years been one of the ablest lawyers of the County MT. Smiths commencement in business was thereby attended by fortunate circumstances, and he improved them with becoming industry, and from the very first found himself in lucra- tive practice which continued to increase until called into absorbing public business. He was first elected to the legislature in l793 and ire quently afterwards; indeed, from 1796 to Octo- Der, 1900 he was constantly a member, and dur ing the two sessions of 1900 was speaker of the house, and. while occupying that station in the October session he was informed by the Govern CT that he was elected a member of Congress to fill a vacancy which had occurred for the then approaching last session of the Sixth Congress, and also for the full term of the Seventh Con- gress soon after which information, he resigned the chair and seat in the house, and returned home to prepare for assuming his newly assigned duties. It so happened that the extra session to which he had been chosen was that, which, by law, was to be holden at the new City of Wash ington, whither he repaired and served through that term, and the Seventh Congress was re- elected to the Eighth and again to the Ninth Congress, at the expiration of the Ninth Con. gress he declined any further elections to that honorable body. During his congressional ca reer he did not participate much in debate, but his fine talent at presiding was early discovered. and caused him frequently to be called to the chair when the House was in committee of the whole, and he thus presided during some of the most memorable debates which distinguished those days. He was during all but the first ses- sion, a member of the committee of claims while in Congress, and during the Eighth and Ninth Congress at the head of that committee, though in the minority. In May. 1909 Mir. Smith was appointed Judge of the Superior Court, which he resigned in May, 1911 on being elected Lieu tenant-Governor; in May, 1913 he was elected Governor and reelected to that office until 1918, when, political revolution having taken place, ne retired hnaliy from civil public life. His ad- ministration of the gubernatorial office embraced the greater part of the war of 1872 and 1915. and his duties in all respects were performed with dignity, propriety and grace.
 After his retirement to private life mnoh oe his time was devoted to religious studies. and hi. eminent christian and literary cc cc,omplisbmerts being extensively known and appreciated he was selected as the first president of the Connections Bible Society on it's establishment In 1926 he was chosen president of the American Board o Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and ir 1881 president of the American Bible Society In 1915 he received the degree of IL. D. A, old age pressed upon him his hearing became i'm paired, and he never would suffer himself to holt public stations when he could not perform al their duties with becoming grace, he resigned al ms posts of honor, and on the 7th day of De cember ls45, he died in the 8lst year of his age
 In an eulogy delivered before the Connection histoncai Society by the Rev. W. H. Andrews then Of Kent, soon after the decease of MT smith, giving concise but eloquent historica sketcn or ms life and character, stating that h, was admitted to the Bar in Litchfeld conntv and observing that at the time there was no ba