Smith, Green Clay, 1826-1895

Green Clay Smith was a United States Congressman from Kentucky, a Union General during the Civil War, and a Territorial Governor of Montana. Born in 1826, he was the son of John Speed Smith and Elizabeth (Clay) Smith, who was the daughter of Green Clay and the sister of Cassius and Brutus Clay. Green Clay Smith served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Mexican War and practiced law in Covington until 1861. After the beginning of the Civil War, Smith served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and also in the Union Army. Serving with a number of Kentucky cavalry regiments, Smith was promoted to brigadier general in June 1862. From 1863 to 1866, Smith served as an Unconditional Unionist member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. In 1866, he resigned his seat to accept his nomination as Territorial governor of Montana, a position he held until 1869. Upon his resignation from Montana's governorship, he moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as a Baptist minister until his death. During that period he was also active in the Union Veterans' Union. He died in Washington on June 9, 1895 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

From the description of Green Clay Smith papers, 1863-1891. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 70871449

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