Samuel Yerger Smith

Full Name: Samuel Yerger "Sam" Smith
Date of birth: September 29, 1841
Date of death: July 11, 1890

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
H	31	Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879	15th	Democrat	Huntsville / Walker		Trinity, Walker
H	15	Jan 13, 1874 - Jan 23, 1874	14th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾	Democrat	Huntsville / Walker		Grimes, Madison, San Jacinto, Walker

(1) Election Contest, Petition of S.Y. Smith of Walker County, James V. Lea, committee appointment and report, 1/23/1874, pp. 8, 31-32. House Journal.
(2) James V. Lea unseated Sam Y. Smith in election contest 1/23/1874. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.

Terms of Service top

House District 31
Apr 18, 1876 - Jan 14, 1879
Legislatures: 15th
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Huntsville / Walker
Counties in district: Trinity, Walker

House District 15
Jan 13, 1874 - Jan 23, 1874
Legislatures: 14th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Huntsville / Walker
Counties in district: Grimes, Madison, San Jacinto, Walker

Biographical Information top

Biographical Sketches

Biographical sketch, Samuel Y. Smith, History of Clear Creek and Boulder Valleys, Colorado, p. 487, O.L. Baskin & Co., Historical Publishers, 1886. Google Books.
Biographical sketch, Sam Y. Smith, pp. 94-95. Birth date 9/29/1841. Smith was elected "in 1874 as a Democratic member of the 14th Texas Legislature, and held the position for two weeks; resigned it to J.V. Lea, also a Democrat, who had received a larger number of votes than himself, but who was refused the certificate of election in consequence of informality in returns. Mr. Smith's magnanimous conduct in giving the position to Mr. Lea was recognized by the House as an act worthy of special mention." Sketches of Legislators and State Officers, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878, 1876.

Military Service Notes

Confederate States Army, Hood's Brigade. Sketches of Legislators and State Officers, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878, 1876.
Samuel Y. Smith, "Mayor of Huntsville, TX 1873-1874, Texas State Legislator 1874-1878," listed in Prominent Colorado Confederate Veterans, Colorado Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Other Resources

Samuel Yerger Smith, portrait, family Bible, birth date 9/29/1841, death date 7/11/1890, marriage to Florence L. Wynne, 8/14/1862. Guynes Family Tree. Ancestry.com.
Samuel Y. Smith (1841-1890), burial in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado. Find a Grave.
"Sam Y. Smith," former member of the Legislature, announces candidacy for State Treasurer. The Jasper Weekly News-Boy, 6/6/1878, p. 1, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).
Death notice, "The State Press," from The Huntsville Item, The Galveston Daily News, 7/20/1890, p. 6, crediting Abilene Library Consortium. Sam Y. Smith of Denver, Col., "born and raised in our county . . . he was elected mayor of Huntsville and served one term, and also represented our county one term in the lower branch of the legislature." Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).

Photographs

Photograph. S.Y. Smith, 15th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

14th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
15th session composite photo of House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

15th R.S. - 1876 Claims and Accounts Finance Penitentiary Public Debt (Chair)
14th R.S. - 1874 Commerce and Manufactures Finance

This website is a work in progress. Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.

Party information is not available for the 1st-11th Legislatures.

Have a question, comment or contribution? Email the Library or call 512-463-1252.

Many photos in Texas Legislators: Past and Present are used with permission of the Texas State Preservation Board. For permission to reproduce these photos, please contact the Texas State Preservation Board graphics coordinator at 512-475-3060.