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John Walter Smith
United States Senator fromMaryland
In office March 25, 1908 – March 3, 1921
Preceded by	William Pinkney Whyte
Succeeded by	Ovington Weller
44th Governor of Maryland
In office January 10, 1900 – January 13, 1904
Preceded by	Lloyd Lowndes Jr.
Succeeded by	Edwin Warfield
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's1st district
In office March 4, 1899 – January 12, 1900
Preceded by	Isaac A. Barber
Succeeded by	Josiah L. Kerr
Member of theMaryland State Senate
In office 1890–1899
Preceded by	Samuel K. Dennis
Succeeded by	John P. Moore
Personal details
Born	February 5, 1845 Snow Hill, Maryland, U.S.
Died	April 19, 1925(1925-04-19) (aged 80) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Frances Richardson
Children	2

John Walter Smith (February 5, 1845 – April 19, 1925) was an American politician and a member of theDemocratic Party in the United States. held several public offices representing the state of Maryland. From 1899 to 1900, he was aU.S. congressman for the 1st district of Maryland; from 1900 to 1904, he was the44th Governor of Maryland; and from 1908 to 1921, he served in theU.S. Senate, first as thejunior senator for Maryland, and from November 1912 as the senior senator.^[1][2]

Smith was born atSnow Hill, Maryland, and attended private schools and Union Academy. His mother died when he was five weeks old, and his father died when he was five years old.Ephraim King Wilson, Smith's cousin, assumed guardianship of Smith and raised him. He engaged in thelumber business inMaryland,Virginia, andNorth Carolina before becoming president of the First National Bank of Snow Hill and director in many business and financial institutions.

Beginning his political career, Smith was elected to theMaryland State Senate in 1889, 1893, and 1897, and served as president of the Senate in 1894. Following the death of U.S. Senator from MarylandEphraim K. Wilson in 1891, Smith sought to be elected to replace him, but lost the nomination to fellow DemocratCharles H. Gibson. He was elected to the 56th Congress in 1898 from the1st Congressional district of Maryland, but served for less than a year before being unexpectedly nominated forGovernor of Maryland by the Democratic State Convention in 1899. Smith was victorious against incumbent governorLloyd Lowndes, Jr.

As Governor, Smith promotededucation,labor, andhealthcare reform. In education, Smith reorganized thepublic school system, guaranteed free textbooks for all students, appointed a schoolsuperintendent, and removed the Agricultural College of Maryland (now known as theUniversity of Maryland, College Park) from private control and placed it under the guidance of the State. He also improved the State'sworkmen's compensation program, encouraged amerit system for promotions, reorganized health laws, and constructed a Statepsychiatric hospital. Governor Smith is also credited with signing into law the Certified Public Accountant Act, making Maryland the third state to create a Profession of Public Accounting with an exam, and state licensing and oversight. Smith also freed the State from much of its debt by the time he departed from the position in 1904.

After another unsuccessful attempt at a Senate election in 1904, Smith was elected in January 1908 to succeedWilliam Pinkney Whyte, whose term ended in 1909. When Whyte died in March 1908, Smith was also elected to finish the term. He was re-elected in 1914 and served from March 25, 1908, to March 3, 1921. He lost the election in 1920 for a third term as Senator toOvington E. Weller.

As senator, Smith was chairman of theCommittee to Investigate Trespassers Upon Land (62nd Congress), theCommittee on the District of Columbia (63rd through 65th Congresses), and theCommittee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service (66th Congress).

Smith retired to private life and died inBaltimore, Maryland, on April 19, 1925, after a short illness.^[3] He is buried in theMakemie Memorial Presbyterian Church Cemetery inSnow Hill, Maryland.

• United States Congress."John Walter Smith (id: S000577)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• John Walter Smith – Delmarva Heritage Series

• Media related toJohn Walter Smith at Wikimedia Commons

• 1845 births
• 1925 deaths
• Democratic Party governors of Maryland
• Presidents of the Maryland Senate
• Democratic Party Maryland state senators
• People from Snow Hill, Maryland
• Democratic Party United States senators from Maryland
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland
• 20th-century Maryland politicians
• 20th-century United States senators
• 19th-century United States representatives
• 19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly

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