William Rudolph Smith

William R. Smith
William R. Smith
5th Attorney General of Wisconsin
	In office; January 7, 1856 – January 4, 1858
Governor	William A. Barstow; Arthur MacArthur Sr.; Coles Bashford
Preceded by	George Baldwin Smith
Succeeded by	Gabriel Bouck
1st Adjutant General of Wisconsin
	In office; May 29, 1848 – April 1, 1851
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	William A. Barstow
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate; from the 17th district
	In office; December 2, 1823 – December 7, 1824
Preceded by	William Davidson
Succeeded by	Christian Garber
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; from the Centre and Clearfield district
	In office; December 7, 1819 – December 3, 1822
Preceded by	Jacob Kryder
Succeeded by	John Mitchell; and Martin Hoover
Personal details
Born	August 31, 1787; Trappe, Pennsylvania
Died	August 22, 1868 (aged 80); Quincy, Illinois
Resting place	Graceland Cemetery; Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic; Federalist (before 1836)
Spouses	Eliza Anthony (m. 1809; died 1821); Mary Hamilton Van Dyke (m. 1823);
Children	with Eliza Anthony; William Anthony Smith; (b. 1809; died 1887); with Mary Van Dyke; Penelope C. "Nellie" (Henry); (b. 1830; died 1852); Richard Moore Smith; (b. 1828; died 1888); John Montgomery Smith; (b. 1834; died 1903); Maria Letitia Smith; (b. 1836; died 1852);
Parents	William Moore Smith (father); Anne (Rudolph) Smith (mother);
Profession	lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Pennsylvania Militia (1812–1815); Wisconsin Territorial Militia (1837–1848); Wisconsin Militia (1848–1852);
Rank	Major General
Commands	62nd Pennsylvania Reserves
Battles/wars	War of 1812

William Rudolph Smith (August 31, 1787 – August 22, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from Pennsylvania who served as the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin, the first President of the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the first Adjutant General of Wisconsin.

Earlier, while living in Pennsylvania, he served as a Federalist member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate, and served for many years in the Pennsylvania Militia, including service as Colonel of the 62nd Pennsylvania Reserves in the War of 1812.

William R. Smith


5th Attorney General of Wisconsin
In office January 7, 1856 – January 4, 1858
Governor	William A. Barstow Arthur MacArthur Sr. Coles Bashford
Preceded by	George Baldwin Smith
Succeeded by	Gabriel Bouck
1st Adjutant General of Wisconsin
In office May 29, 1848 – April 1, 1851
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	William A. Barstow
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 17th district
In office December 2, 1823 – December 7, 1824
Preceded by	William Davidson
Succeeded by	Christian Garber
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Centre and Clearfield district
In office December 7, 1819 – December 3, 1822
Preceded by	Jacob Kryder
Succeeded by	John Mitchell and Martin Hoover

Personal details
Born	(1787-08-31)August 31, 1787 Trappe, Pennsylvania
Died	August 22, 1868(1868-08-22) (aged 80) Quincy, Illinois
Resting place	Graceland Cemetery Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic Federalist (before 1836)
Spouses	Eliza Anthony (m. 1809; died 1821) Mary Hamilton Van Dyke (m. 1823)
Children	with Eliza Anthony William Anthony Smith ^{(b. 1809; died 1887)} with Mary Van Dyke Penelope C. "Nellie" (Henry) ^{(b. 1830; died 1852)} Richard Moore Smith ^{(b. 1828; died 1888)} John Montgomery Smith ^{(b. 1834; died 1903)} Maria Letitia Smith ^{(b. 1836; died 1852)}
Parents	William Moore Smith (father) Anne (Rudolph) Smith (mother)
Profession	lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Pennsylvania Militia (1812–1815) Wisconsin Territorial Militia (1837–1848) Wisconsin Militia (1848–1852)
Rank	Major General
Commands	62nd Pennsylvania Reserves
Battles/wars	War of 1812