Hezekiah Bradley Smith

Hezekiah Bradley Smith ( born July 24, 1816 in Bridgewater, Windsor County, Vermont, † November 3, 1887 in Smithville, New Jersey ) was an American inventor and politician. Between 1879 and 1881 he represented the State of New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Hezekiah Smith attended the public schools of his home and then learned the trade of cabinet-maker. In 1840 he moved to Lowell in Massachusetts. There he manufactures machines for wood processing. He also invented some new devices. Overall, he filed over 40 patents. He also developed the first steam-powered vehicle in New Jersey and a special bike that was given the name "Star Bicycle".

Politically, Smith was a member of the Democratic Party. In the congressional elections of 1878 he was in the second electoral district of New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of John H. Pugh on March 4, 1879. Since he Republican J. Hart Brewer defeated in 1880, he was able to complete only one term in Congress until March 3, 1881.

After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives Smith took his previous activities on again. Between 1883 and 1885 he was a member of the New Jersey Senate. He died on November 3, 1887 in Mount Holly. In his private life Hezekiah Smith made negative headlines after his first wife refused to divorce him and he desired without official divorce entered into a second marriage later. He had been legally a bigamist. This fact came during the election campaign of 1880 brought to light and was a possible reason for his defeat.

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