Name Perry Smith | ||
Perry H. Smith (March 28, 1828 – March 29, 1885) was an American businessman and politician.
Born in Augusta, New York, Smith graduated from Hamilton College. He then studied law and was admitted to the New York Bar. In 1845, he moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin and then to Milwaukee and Appleton, Wisconsin. He was elected the first county judge for Outagamie County, Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly 1855, 1858–1859 and the Wisconsin State Senate 1856–1857 as a Democrat. In 1857, Smith became vice president of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad. In 1860, he moved to Chicago, Illinois. In 1869, he left the railroad and went into private business. In 1876, Smith ran for Mayor of Chicago and lost the election to Monroe Heath. He was committed to an insane asylum around 1882. He died of congestion of the liver in Chicago, Illinois, leaving an estate worth $5 million.