William Jay Smith (Tennessee politician)
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William Jay Smith (September 24, 1823 - November 29, 1913) was a U.S. Representative from Tennessee.
Born in Birmingham, England, Smith immigrated to the United States and settled in Orange County, New York. He attended the common schools and learned the printing trade. He moved to Tennessee in 1846 and during the Mexican War, in 1847, served in a regiment from that State. He moved to Hardeman County, Tennessee, and engaged in horticulture. During the Civil War served in the Union Army 1861-1865. He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1865. He served as member of the State house of representatives from 1865 to 1867. He served in the State senate from 1867 to 1869 and 1885-1887. He was Surveyor of the port of Memphis, Tennessee from 1871 to 1883.
Smith was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869-March 3, 1871). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, and then worked in the real estate business and in banking. A few years after his defeat, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876. He died in Memphis, Tennessee, November 29, 1913. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery.
