Aleck C. Smith

Alexander C. "Aleck" Smith (c. 1838 – May 9, 1875) was a justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court from 1863 to 1866.

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois,[1][2] Smith reportedly "read law somewhere in the West",[3] and "traveled to the Washington Territory in the 1850's where he served for a short time as a prosecuting attorney".[1][2] He married the daughter of Anson G. Henry, who was then surveyor-general of the Washington Ter­ritory, and a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln.[2]

Henry visited Washington, D.C., in the spring of 1863 where Lincoln insisted that he stay and accompany him in a visit of the Army of the Potomac.[4] Henry secured Smith's appointment to the territorial supreme court at this time.[2] Smith was appointed to the seat on March 10, 1863,[5] and the appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate the following day.[6] Smith "was only twenty-five at the time of his appointment and was assigned to cov­er the First District by Governor William H. Wallace".[2] However, Smith's "inexperience and reputation for hard-drinking raised the ire of many in the territory, so much so that he was removed from office in 1866".[1]

Following his ouster from the court, it was reported that Smith had move to Vancouver, Washington Territory, to practice law.[7] He died of consumption in Kalama, Washington Territory, on May 9, 1875.[8]

References
  1. Williams, Bradley B. "Idaho's First Territorial Judges" (PDF).
  2. Debora K. Kristensen, "The First 50 Men In Idaho Law, The Advocate (October 2010), p. 54.
  3. Ronald H. Limbaugh, "Idaho Territory", in Ralph Y. McGinnis, Calvin N. Smith, eds., Abraham Lincoln and the Western Territories (1994), p. 143.
  4. "The Politicians: Anson G. Henry (1804-1865)". Mr. Lincoln & Friends. The Lehrman Institute. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  5. Weldon Brinton Heyburn, Idaho Laws and Decisions, Annotated and Digested (1900), p. vii.
  6. "Nominations Confirmed", The New York Times (March 11, 1863), p. 5.
  7. The Idaho Statesman (December 19, 1867), p. 3.
  8. "Departed". Washington Standard. May 15, 1875.



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