Thomas Slater Smith

Last updated
Thomas S. Smith
Preceded by John Hughes Cochran
Succeeded byL. Travis Dashiell
Personal details
BornThomas Slater Smith
(1856-07-06)July 6, 1856
Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 1901(1901-03-15) (aged 44)
Austin, Texas, U.S.

Thomas Slater Smith (1856-1901) was an American jurist from Texas. He was a member of the Texas Legislature where he served as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. He was later elected as the Texas Attorney General.

Contents

Early life and education

Slater was born on July 6, 1856 in Mississippi. [1] He attended Emory & Henry College, graduating in 1877. [1] He obtained his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1878. [2]

Career

Slater began practicing law in Mississippi and served two terms as mayor of Tupelo, Mississippi. [3] He moved to Hillsboro, Texas in 1884 and became the attorney for Hill County, Texas, [1] and was also named to the Democratic committee for the state of Texas for the 21st Senatorial District beginning in 1888. [2] In 1893, Slater was elected to the Texas Legislature, [2] serving as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives before resigning office to serve as elector for the 1896 United States presidential election. [4] [ better source needed ]

Slater was elected Texas Attorney General and took office in 1898. [1] While Attorney General, he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court. [3]

Personal life

Smith died while in office on March 15, 1901. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lane, Francie (27 January 2015). The Martin Family History Volume II Col. James Martin (1742-1834) and Martha Martin Rogers (1744-1825). LuluPress, Incorporated. ISBN   9781312869868 . Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Hart, Brian (1 June 1995). "Thomas Slater Smith: Life and Legacy of a Texas Attorney General". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Presiding Officers of The Texas Legislature, 1846-2016". The Portal to Texas History. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "Thomas Slater Smith...Hillsboro's Political Giant at the Dawn of the 20th Century". Hillsboro Heritage League. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "Tom Smith Rifles Militia in Early 1900s". The Evening Mirror. 7 September 1958. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
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