History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Lewis H. Smith
LEWIS H. SMITH, one of the pioneers of northwestern Iowa, was born at West Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 21, 1835, and received his education in the public schools of his native place. He came west in 1853, and was employed in the survey of the line of the Rock Island Railroad through Iowa until 1855, when he engaged in school teaching. When C. C. Carpenter was employed in surveying public lands in Kossuth County, Mr. Smith was one of his party. He remained at Algona and surveyed and platted that town. In 1857 he was a volunteer in a company raised to protect that part of the State against the hostile Sioux Indians. As a surveyor he platted the town of Estherville, the county-seat of Emmet County; and in 1857 was elected county judge of Kossuth, serving most of the time until the office was abolished. In 1861 Mr. Smith was admitted to the bar, and in the following year was appointed quartermaster of the Northern Border Brigade which was organized to guard the settlers from attacks from the Sioux Indians. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee in 1858-60 and secretary of the State Convention. Mr. Smith was enrolling and reading clerk of the House of Representatives in 1860-1. For twelve years he served as trustee of the Hospital for Insane at Independence and during eight years was president of the board.