William Hugh Smith (April 28 , 1826 –January 1 , 1899 ) was the Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1868 to 1870 during the period of military reconstruction. A former slave owner, he opposed secession from the union on the grounds it would imperil slave property. Practical considerations, rather than principled opposition to slavery appeared to drive his views. From 1855-1859 he served in the Alabama House of Representatives as a "states-rights" Democrat, but he evolved into a strong Unionist. In 1862, he fled behind Union lines and spent the rest of the war recruiting soldiers for the First Alabama Union regiment. He went with this regiment on General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous "March to the Sea". He chaired the first statewide Republican convention in 1867. He was installed as Governor by the U.S. Congress in July of 1868. Although he had been elected in February of 1868, he would not volutarily take office due to the failure of the voters to ratify the 1868 constitution. A conservative once in office, he supported restoration of voting rights for ex-confederate public officials and military officers. He took only light action against the Ku Klux Klan , arguing that local law enforcement could effectively handle the situation. He promoted economic development and railroad development. He was defeated for re-election by Robert Lindsay by the narrow margin of 77,721 to 76,292. He left office under an ethical cloud of corruption regarding state aid to railroads. He remained active in the Republican Party and was appointed as a Circuit Judge in 1873 by Governor Lewis. He was a Federal District Attorney under President James A. Garfield. He died in Birmingham at the age of 72. April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ...
The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ...
1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...
The following is a list of the territorial and state governors of Alabama. ...
A state of the United States (a U.S. state) is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area Ranked 30th - Total 52,423 sq. ...
1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ...
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William Smith (geologist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (763 words)
William Smith (March 23, 1769–August 28, 1839) was an English geologist, credited with creating the first nationwide geologic map. Smith was born in the village of Churchill, Oxfordshire. This gave Smith a testable hypothesis, which he termed the principle of faunal succession, and he began his search to determine if the relationships between the strata and their characteristics were consistent throughout the country.
William Hugh Smith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (414 words)
William Hugh Smith (April 28, 1826–January 1, 1899 ) was the Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1868 to 1870 during the period of military reconstruction. He went with this regiment on General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous "March to the Sea". Smith • Lindsay • Lewis • Houston • Cobb • E.A. O'Neal • Seay • T.
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