Dietrich C. Smith

Dietrich Conrad Smith ( born April 4, 1840 in Ostfriesland, Kingdom of Hanover, † April 18, 1914 in Pekin, Illinois ) was an American politician. Between 1881 and 1883 he represented the state of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Around 1850 came Dietrich Smith with his parents from his native Germany to Pekin in Illinois. He attended the public schools of his new home and the Quincy College. During the Civil War he served until 1863 in the army of the Union, where he rose to become captain. He participated in several battles and was wounded in the meantime. After his military service, Smith has been in the banking industry, working in the crafts and in the railway business. In 1874, he founded the German College in Mount Pleasant. After that, he was for many years a trustee of this educational institution. At the same time he proposed as a member of the Republican Party launched a political career. From 1876 to 1878 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from Illinois.

In the congressional elections of 1880, Smith was in the 13th electoral district of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he succeeded the later Adlai Ewing Stevenson Vice President on March 4, 1881. Since he has not been confirmed in 1882, he was able to complete only one term in Congress until March 3, 1883.

After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives Dietrich Smith again worked in the banking industry. He died on April 18, 1914 in Pekin, where he was also buried.

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