George Washington Smith was born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25, 1805. He came to Butler, PA and was at one time employed in the woolen factory, then carried on in connection with the McNeill flour mill. He read law with General Ayers and soon took a prominent rank at the bar. He was a Whig in politics and with S. H. Purviance and C.C. Sullivan became one the its foremost leaders. His name was on several occasions used by his friends in connection with political positions. He represented Butler County in the legislature. He was the candidate of his party for Congress in 1848 but fell a few votes short of being elected.

He moved to Kansas in 1855 and took an active part in the stirring scenes that took place during the years that followed. He was elected Governor under the Lecompton Constitution by that portion of the Free State men who deemed it wise to take part in that election. A large number of the Free State men treated the election as a fraud and did not vote.

George W. Smith’s name appears among those attending a Free State meeting at Lawrence July 11, 1855. The meeting was called by the lately expelled Free State members of the legislature to consider what should be done. In accordance with the resolutions passed, the first Free State convention assembled in Lawrence on Tuesday, August 14, 1855 at ten o’clock a.m. Officers were chosen. G. W. Smith was one of the Vice-Presidents. In May 1856, the U.S. District Court was held in Lecompton with Chief Justice Samuel D. Lecompte presiding. The Grand Jury of Douglas County was impaneled and was charged by the judge to find bills of indictment for treason. They found indictments against Reeder, Robinson, Lane, G. W. Brown, G. W. Deitzler and G. W. Smith. Smith was one of these held as prisoner in a camp of U.S. soldiers.

G. W. Smith was speaker of the House of Representatives of Kansas in 1868. He was afterwards chosen Police Judge for the City of Lawrence, which position he held until his death September 28, 1878. He was an outspoken, warmhearted man. His life was an active one. His early education was limited but nature had done so much for him. He was at home with a jury and could always make the most of the facts when submitting his clients cause to their keeping.

In the Lane and Jenkins famous controversy over their preemptions, Judge Smith was an attorney for Jenkins and a most violent enemy of Lane. The Judge was said to be one if the best haters in Kansas.

Miss Madge Bullene gave these pictures to the library. The original paintings from which these pictures were photographed were in Topeka with Mrs. Chester Woodward.