William Russell Smith

William Russell Smith ( born March 27, 1815 in Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky, † February 26, 1896 in Washington DC ) was an American politician (Democratic Party), who represented the state of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Konföderiertenkongress.

Smith moved at a young age from Kentucky to Alabama and attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He studied law, was in 1835 a member of the Bar and began to practice in Greensboro. The following year, he served with the rank of captain in the state militia and participated in the campaign against the Creek Indians in part. He then worked again as a lawyer in Tuscaloosa as well as a newspaper editor.

In 1839 he became mayor of Tuscaloosa; 1841-1843 he was then in the House of Representatives from Alabama. Between 1850 and 1851 he served as a judge for the seventh circuit court of Alabama. On March 4, 1851 Smith moved into the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for six years; before his last term in office, he stepped over to the American Party.

At the Constitutional Convention of Alabama in 1861, Smith voted against secession. However, he later joined the Confederate Army and served during the Civil War as Colonel of the 26th Regiment of Alabama. He was also from 1862 to 1865 deputy in the first and second Konföderiertenkongress.

After the war, William Smith worked again as a lawyer. From 1869 to 1871 he was president of the University of Alabama.