Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-02-19
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FORMER j ST. PAU 81 NAY Il, Was.
80 YEARS IN .PU BLlc
OFFICE. Il
NET WITH DEFEAT I. ONLY ONCE e
rhatavvas IN 1892 succumb. 10 Ex-
haustion 4 Age Of So, After
S5i;s Severe Attack Of 1
5=s s,;I$5553s=5 Pneumonia.

( st. Paul.-Robert a. Smith. form9
mayor r . of St. Paul, for nearly sixty
years. resident Of Minnesota and 4
h ll!l' q! Of public Office for the greater
part Of that time, died at 7:15 p. m.
Wednesday in his apartments at the
Marlborough, Summit avenue and
West. Sixth street, st. Paul. His
daughter, Mrs. C. w. Copley, was the
pnly person at his bedside at the time,
the the end coming suddenly from exhaus-
non, following an attack of pneumonia,
from which he had begun to mend. He
was sc years old and had been in fail
ing health for two years but the last
and fatal attack came Sunday, Febru.
airy 2. =. &S
Came From indiana. .-sza
Mr. Smith was for three years coun-
ty auditor of Warrick county, Indiana,
beginning in 1849, and came to Mime
sofa in 1853 as private secretary to
Willis A. German, territorial governor,
his brother-in-law, which office he held
Tor three years. He was appointed by
Governor German as county treasurer
OF Ramsey county in 1856 and held
that Office by subsequent election till
1868. He was member of the state
house of representatives in 1872, mem
Der OF the st. Paul city council from
1888 to 1887, state senator from 1887
to 1891, mayor of St. Paul from 1887
to 1892, and from 1894 to 1896, post
master of st. Paul from 1896 to 1900,
mayor again from 1900 to 1908, county
commissioner from 1911 till his death.
Counting twice the four years that he
was state senator: and mayor of st.
Paul at the same time, he was in office
forty eight years between the ages of
% and IS: During thirty years of that
time he was also in the banking bust
ness " ~. =. IT, ~: - -
His only defeat for any public office
was in 1892 when Colonel Frederick
P. Wright obtained majority of 8 800
over his vote for mayor of st. Paul.
This total, was completely reversed
when Mr. Smith defeated Colonel
Wright in 1904 for mayor. by 1920
majority. -
Endeared to All. ..-z
Mr.. Smith endeared himself to all
who knew him, not only by kindly dis
position but by his voluntary sacrifice
Of all his property when the bank
Of Minnesota, of which he was vice
president. failed in 1896 Mr.. Smith
not only turned over all the amount
for which he was liable under the law
but every bit of property he possessed
and thereafter lived on the salary he
received as postmaster and later as
mayor and county commissioner. -
1t is believed that no man in Mime
sofa has as long a record as public
official. In politics he was a demo
crat,{ but when, he ran for office his
support was largely non-partizan.
Mr.. Smith was born in Boonville,
Ind, in 1927. His father, VIM. Smith.
was native of England, and his moth.
er, Elizabeth (Graham) Smith, was a
member of an old Virginia family.
Mr.. Smith was graduated from the
law department of the University Of
Indiana in 1850. ~-si'a = n r.
f. He was married in 1851 to Miss
Mary F. Stone Of Bloomington, Ind.
The body of Mr.. Smith will lie in
state in the St.. Paul Masonic Temple
Saturday from 10 a. m. to 2 p. M,
when Masonic funeral services will be
conducted. Mayor H. P. Keller today
called special meeting of the city
council and county commissioners at
noon tomorrow for oral tribute and
resolutions. Assemblyman T. r. Kane
and c. D. O'Brien, former mayor, will
sneak. III. : - - -