John R. Smith (agriculture commissioner)

John R. Smith
6th North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
In office
January 1, 1898 – 1899
Appointed byState Board of Agriculture
Preceded byJames M. Mewborne
Succeeded bySamuel L. Patterson
Personal details
BornJuly 1837
DiedApril 14, 1921
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Political partyRepublican

John R. Smith (July 1837 – April 14, 1921) was an American politician who served as the sixth North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture.

Smith was born in July 1837. He married twice.[1]

Smith was a Republican.[2] He was appointed superintendent of the State Penitentiary by Governor Daniel Lindsay Russell.[3] He took office on March 7, 1897.[4] Upon uncovering evidence of misconduct, Russell arranged for Smith swap to positions with James M. Mewborne, the commissioner of agriculture.[2] The State Board of Agriculture elected him on December 14, 1897, to succeed Mewborne effective January 1, 1898.[5] At the board's next meeting on June 14, a motion was introduced to deem Smith unfit for office and form a committee to ask for his resignation. After heated debate, the motion was tabled.[3] Smith was succeeded by Samuel L. Patterson in 1899.[5]

Smith died at his home in Goldsboro on April 14, 1921.[6]

  1. ^ "Ex-Sheriff Jno. R. Smith Dead". Goldsboro Daily Argus. April 14, 1921. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b Powell, William S. (2010). North Carolina Through Four Centuries (reprint ed.). North Carolina: UNC Press. p. 435. ISBN 9780807898987.
  3. ^ a b Graham, Jim (1998). The Sodfather: A Friend of Agriculture (PDF). Raleigh: James A. Graham Scholarship Endowment. p. 61. ISBN 9780963455925.
  4. ^ "A Remarkable Statement". The Wilmington Messenger. March 7, 1897. p. 1.
  5. ^ a b North Carolina Manual (PDF). Raleigh: North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. 2011. pp. 201–202. OCLC 2623953.
  6. ^ "John R. Smith Dies". The Fayetteville Observer. April 15, 1921. p. 5.