Representative Smiley Hughes Bonham View All Years

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Compiled Historical Information

Date of Death: 4/18/1879

Birth Place: Knox County, Ohio

Party Affiliation:
Democrat
Anti-Monopoly

Assemblies Served:
House: 1 (1846) - 2 (1848)
15 (1874)

Home County: Johnson
Clarke

Speaker Video:

Smiley Hughes Bonham

Johnson County

Born in Knox county, Ohio, May 29th, 1814, and came to Iowa with the pioneers, settling in Washington township, Johnson county. He was a man of mark in those early times, for he was a man of culture. He made his home on a farm and occasionally filled acceptably the pulpit of the Christian Church, in which he was a minister. His talent for affairs, eloquence of speech, uprightness of life marked him for pubic favor and he was elected to the legislature, serving in the 1st and 2nd General Assemblies (1846-1848). He was Speaker of the House during the 2nd General Assembly. His far-sighted intelligence early foresaw the great future of the commonwealth and he was foremost in laying its foundations. When the Federal government granted lands in the Western States for State Universities, he drew the act of acceptance for Iowa and procured its passage. In that act was the germ of our present great University of Iowa. In 1873, he was again elected to serve in the legislature, (15th General Assembly (1874).

House District 16

Committees
2nd GA (1848)