| William Jay Smith | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 September 1823 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 29 November 1913 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Rank | Colonel, 6th Regt. Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry
Breveted Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers, on 16 July 1865 |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War, American Civil War |
William Jay Smith, a Representative from Tennessee; born in Birmingham, England on 24 September 1823; immigrated to the United States and settled in Orange County (NY); attended the common schools; learned the printing trade; moved to Tennessee in 1846; during the Mexican-American War, in 1847, served in a regiment from that State; moved to Hardeman County, TN, and engaged in horticulture; during the American Civil War served as a Brevet Brigadier General in the Union Army 1861-1865; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1865; member of the State house of representatives, 1865–1867; served in the State senate, 1867–1869 and 1885–1887; surveyor of the port of Memphis, TN, 1871–1883; elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869-March 3, 1871); unsuccessful candidate for reelection; engaged in the real estate business and in banking; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876; died in Memphis, TN, on 29 November 1913; interment in Elmwood Cemetery, in Memphis, TN.[1]