John M. C. Smith was a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. He served as U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Barry, Ionia, and all except the northwest portion of Kent. The district is currently represented by Republican Justin Amash, the second youngest member of the house...

.

Biography

Smith was born in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 on February 6, 1853 and immigrated to the United States in 1855 with his parents, who settled near Plymouth, Ohio

Plymouth, Ohio

Plymouth is a village in Huron and Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,852 at the 2000 census.The Richland County portion of Plymouth is part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical...

, where he attended the public schools. He moved to Charlotte, Michigan

Charlotte, Michigan

Charlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....

, in 1867 where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and also worked as a mason. He graduated from the academic department of the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 at Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

 in 1879 and from the law department in 1880. He was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 in 1882 and commenced practice in Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

. He was married to Lena Parkhurst in 1887.

Smith served as prosecuting attorney of Eaton County

Eaton County, Michigan

Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,759. The county seat is Charlotte. Eaton County was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War under U.S. President Andrew Jackson, making it one of Michigan's Cabinet counties...

 1885-1888. He was president of the First National Bank of Charlotte

First National Bank of Charlotte

First National Bank of Charlotte was a bank located in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1865 until 1930.-Early history:In 1853, John Wilkes, the son of Admiral Charles Wilkes, moved to Charlotte to supervise his family's mining and milling business. He served under the Confederacy during the Civil...

 in 1898 and also engaged in manufacturing and agricultural pursuits. Smith was a member of the board of aldermen in 1903 and a member of the State constitutional convention in 1908.

Smith was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Sixty-second and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1911 until March 3, 1921. He was chairman of the United States House Committee on Labor in the Sixty-sixth Congress. Smith was not a candidate for renomination in 1920, but returned to Congress when he was elected to the Sixty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William H. Frankhauser

William H. Frankhauser

William Horace Frankhauser was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Frankhauser was born in Wood County, Ohio and moved with his parents to Monroe, Michigan, in 1875. He attended the public schools, Michigan State Normal School William Horace Frankhauser (March 5, 1863 – May 9, 1921) was a...

, who died in office on May 9, 1921. Smith was reelected to the Sixty-eighth Congress, serving from June 28, 1921, until his death in Charlotte. He is interred in Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte.

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