In the 1850's Victor Smith and his growing family were living in the area of Loveland, OH which was not far from Cincinnati, OH. Victor was an editor for the Cincinnati Commercial newspaper, which was an influential paper at the time. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he appointed Salmon P. Chase as Secretary of the Treasury. When Chase went to Washington, D.C., he took Victor Smith with him as his "right-hand" man. On July 30, 1861 Chase appointed Smith the Collector of Customs for the District of Puget Sound. The family moved to Port Townsend, WA to begin his tenure. Smith's tenure as Collector of Customs was filled with controversy. First, he moved the Customs House to Port Angeles, WA. There was much dissatisfaction with this. He was investigated and indicted for embezzlement. The Secretary sent a treasury agent to investigate. The charges were dropped. However, Lincoln removed him in 1864 from the position because the degree of dissatisfaction was too great to retain him. With Lincoln's approval, Chase appointed Smith treasury agent for the Pacific Coast. In 1865 Smith was aboard the SS Brother Jonathan when it hit a reef and sank. Of the 240 passengers only 16 survived. Smith was not one of the survivors. His family moved back to the Midwest. The Puget Sound Cooperative Colony was announced in 1886. The Colony paid Norman R. Smith, Victor's son, $15,000 for 25 blocks of the platted town site and 200 acres of timberland. The Colony was a collective cooperative community that lasted until about 1889. By the time Norman Smith had returned to Port Angeles, WA he was an energetic young man with personal charm. He became mayor. He believed the railroad should and would come to Port Angeles. For many years he tried to promote and develop a railroad line to the city. When the investments never materialized, he finally gave up. He moved to Crescent City, CA. He passed away in 1954.
From the description of Victory, 1950 : biography of Victor Smith / by Norman R. Smith. (Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State). WorldCat record id: 298343393
