Family Members Who Served in the Iowa Legislature:Father-in-law: John W. Henderson; GAs 18 - 21
Jesse H. Smith
Linn County
Born in Elkhart county, Indiana, August 27, 1837, and is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Thomas) Smith, who were natives of Ohio and Virginia respectively. Jesse H., the sixth in order of birth in his father's family of six children, spent his youthful days to the age of fifteen years in his native county and then accompanied his parents to Linn county, Iowa. His youth was passed on a farm and his preliminary education was acquired in the usual log school houses of the pioneer days. He became one of the first students in Western College in the town of Western, Linn county, spending two years in study there, and his more specifically literary course constituted a broad foundation upon which to build his professional knowledge. In January, 1858, he began reading medicine under the direction of Drs. Milligan and Taylor and subsequently attended lectures at Rush Medical College at Chicago, being graduated from that institution with the class of 1860. He first began practice in Cedar Rapids, where he continued for over sixteen years, being much of that time in partnership with Dr. Mansfield, one of the first physicians of this city. Since his retirement from the field of professional service he has devoted his time largely to the interests of the Farmers Insurance Company, of which he is the president. He became identified with this company when it was a mutual company. It is now the oldest corporation in Linn county. In 1868 it was organized as a joint stock company and in January, 1869, Dr. Smith was elected to the presidency. Into other fields Dr. Smith has extended his efforts and was one of the directors and the vice president of the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway & Light Company. Moreover, he had extensive farming interests, owning over eight hundred acres of valuable land. Dr. Smith has been recognized as one of the republican leaders of Linn county and belongs to that class of men who have sought to make the party stand for principle and not for the furtherance of the interests of certain individuals. While high political honors have been conferred upon him, he has never placed personal ambition or aggrandizement before the party welfare or the interests of the commonwealth. In 1875 he was elected mayor of Cedar Rapids for a two years' term and again filled the office in 1878 and 1879. In 1888 he was elected state senator from Linn county for a term of four years, which covered an important epoch in the history of the state, during which legislation of far reaching moment was enacted. In 1900 he was a delegate at large from Iowa to the republican national convention which nominated McKinley and Roosevelt at Philadelphia. Dr. Smith has been married twice. In 1862 he wedded Lucy Henderson, a daughter of John W. Henderson. She died October 20, 1863, leaving one child. In 1866 he wedded Mary E. Ward, of Illinois, who died in April, 1904, leaving a son, Isaac B. Dr. Smith is an Episcopalian in religious faith and a Mason in his fraternal relations. Both organizations find him a worthy exponent of their principles and in the latter he has attained high rank, having reached the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the consistory, while of the Mystic Shrine he is also a member. He was president of the Masonic Temple Association since its organization and was one of the organizers of St. Luke's Hospital Association in 1887. He belongs to the Cedar Rapids Country Club and to the Commercial Club and his sincere cordiality has made him a favorite in the prominent social circles in which he has always moved.
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