Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1861-12-26
THE MEN OF VERMONT.
4. ISRAEL SMITH.

cut, the 4tl day of April 1853, and ad-
uated at Yale College in 1881.
He frs came to Vermont in l7S3lnd
Immediately commenced the practic of
law at Rupert, in the county Of Benmg-
ton He was the Representative ON
that town to the Legislature of VerDnt
during the years 1885, So, 80 and o
and was in 1886 elected one of theIus-
tees of tie Peace for that county, his
bein the first election of that officer uder
the State government. In 1899, he to-
gether with Isaac Tichenor, Stephel K.
Bradley, Nathaniel Chapman, Elijah Pine,
Ira Allen and Stephen Jacob, wereap-
pointed commissioners 'tO ascertai. a
gree to, rstify and confirm, a jurlsdicbnal
or boundary line between the State Of lew
| York and the State of Vermont an to
adjust and finally determine, all and eery
matter thing which, in any wis, OBJ
structs Inion of this State with the lifted
States" Having accomplished the Olect
of their appointment, ne was chose
delegate to the Convention, viii ch asem-
bled at Bennington, January l79. TO
consumnate he measure, by ratifyin the
&C - TFn1,aI
Soon after the close of the ConveIion,
and during the same year. he remoVd 10
Rutlanc, deeming it better field &c the
practice of his profession; but in theFall
of 81, Vermont being now one 0 the
United States and entitled to t,co Rpre-
sentatiyes in Congress, he was elected
with great unanimity to represent the
Distric:, composed Of the towns Wst Of
! the Mountains, and was reelected in 1913
and again in 1895. In the Spring Of F97
he was again a candidate for re-eletiou'
but having identified himself with thelnti-
Federal party, then beginning to be knwn
as Republtcnns, he was defeated. Ir the
Fall Of the same year. however, he was
elected to represent the town OF Rutand
in the State Legislature. and on the as
sembling Of that body. it wa, found that
there had been a change in the political
atmosphere Of thu State, and that the Re-
publcans were in the majority and he was
elected Chief Justice Of the Supreme
Court.
It was, say, one OF the historians Of YER
mont, during the session OF the Legislature
ofl7P8 that prescription on account OF
political opinion was fret practiced in the
distribution OF civil office, in Vermont.
Israel Smith who held the otfic~ Of Chiei
Jnstce OF the STATE. and who Wa man
Of uncorrupted integrity and virtue. was
DROPPED on account Of lis attachmsnt to
the Republican party, and another person
chosen in his stead.
In 1901. Judge Smith was the sndi-
date Oi the Republican party tor Gpern-
or, and va, defeated for that otfic. but
during the SAM year VIZ, again elected to
represent the Western District OF Y e,mont
in Congress; at the close of tha,term.
March lth, 1903. he took hi. seat n the
Senate Of the United States, having been
elected to that position the October pre-
vious.
In October 1907. having been fy the
people, elected Governor of the Stae. he
resigned his seat in the United States
Senate In his message, he calld the
attention Of the Legislature to thcpena
code OF the State, and recon menGd the
abolition Of corporal punishment tormnor
offences, and the substitution of imrison-
ment in lieu thereof. The Legislature act
ed upon his recommendation andpassed
the laws necessary to that end. Te held
the office of Governor but a sing. year.
In the ac' passed November 1st 1900,
incorporating Middlebury College.he was
named one Of the FeHo,cs or Tustees
and continued as such till his death,ahich
occurred at his residence in Rinlhd, the
ID of December 1910, at the age d u.
His son, William Douglas smith. an
Attorney of Rutland, graduated 4 Mid
dlebury College in 1904, and WIS Clerk
of the House of Representatives If Yer
mont from 1909 till his death, february
22d, 1922, in the 37th year of his age.
Thurlow Weed writes from Pars, under
i e Il, -