The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-21
DEATH CHIEF JUSTICE
SMITH.
News & Observer.

spectIve of parties viii be paired to
learn Of the death OF Hon. william
y. II. Smith, the Chief Justice OF
the State. To tn IN he is known as
the upright Judge, and the learned
iur.st, who has formed tie benc
as the worthy successor OF those
great legal luminaries whose Jur'dl-
cal attalnments bestowed peculiar
lus're on the jud .clal annals Of North
Carolina. But to his friends and
acquaintances, lie was more than
this, and they lament the removal
from their midst of the man himself.
He was a man Of elevated sentl-
ments, of great dignity Of charac-
ter, of high responsibility. In bis
carriage he was unasSuming, gentle
and ,urteOu5 but lie was positive
IN his Opin.Ony and answering
from h convictions. He was
man of large experience and vast
information, uniting 10 bis splendid
natural endOWmentS great industry
in tie acquisition Of knowledge
HIS disposition was kindly and
sympathetic and lie was fond of
cOmpanionship, given to soclaO.lity
and free in conversation. His char
acte1iSticS were study virtues and
there was a robust m nhO1d about
him that gave tone to his whole
career. When We consider his
strength Of character, his entire in
tegrity, his varied experience, his
mental capacity and scholastic at
tainments, his powers as an orator
and accurate leaning, it is appar-
ent that he IS to rank with the
foremost citz us ey>r produced in
our State.
His father was William l.. Smith,
a native Of Lyme, Connecticut, who
having graduated at Ya'e College in
the scar 1902, studied medicine, re-
moved 10 HertrOrd county, mari ed
there IN 1910, and died in 1913.
HIS mother was Ann Uarfeu, of the
, we'll known family of that name in
Her ford county. He was born at
MurfreesbOro, SEPTEMBER 9th,
1872. After graduating at Yale
College in the year 1881, Judge
Smith remained at his AImu Mater
ana studied law at the Yale Law
School. after which he obtained IL
cense to practice N the courts OF
this State and settled in bis native
place, whore he continued III extern
sive practice until March, 1870
when he removed to Norfolk. Vir-
ginia, witout, hOW,V>r, abandoning
his business before the North Caro-
, lima Courts. I Wo years were suff
cient to satisfy Mr.. Smith that there
was no place like home, and he
9 accordingly returned to North
-, Carolina to spend the remainder O1
. his days, since which time he has
7 been a resident Of the city o
Q Raleigh.
The only position in the line Of
his profession held by Mr.. Smitl
-, before his appointment as Chic
Justice bv Governor Vance in Jan
. uary 1878, was tn OF Solicitor 70
the State in the first Judicial Dis
= trict, then compose Of tn COun;ie
in the northeastern portion Of th
=, State, to which he was first elected
. by the Legislature at its session
. held in the winter Of 1S49-I0
This Office he held for four year
when he was again elected by tn
Legislature for a similar term.
In p0ht cal life Mr.. Smith a
times took an active pa t, and FIRE
qlently held public sta,ion. He be
=, lOnged to the school of politician
known as Ola Line Wings. In 1874
he was elec.ed to the House Of Con
mons. as it was then called, and i
1913 was elected to the Senate frOr
his native county. In 1851 he VS.
- the candidate of the Wing party fC
Congress in his district but was d.
- feated though only by very sma
- majority. Ia 1889 he was reaon
mated and elected by large majo
-, ity. BY THIS time the sections
" feeling between the North and tt
- South bad become so strong tn
" old party lines were well nigh BIO!
en- down and Mr.. Smith was seleC
ell by the Southern representatIv
:, as their candidate for Speaker
the House Of Representative
After a long struggle, and nal
. ballotings, in which he Jacket on
one vote OF an election, he W
detea'ed By Mr.. Pennington
New Jersey. lie remained in /
-, seat until the close Of the seSsi