DR. HENRY A. SMITH. – Doctor Smith was born in Wooster, Ohio, April 11, 1830, and is the son of Nicholas and Abagail (Teaff) Smith. His father, who was a Baptist minister, died when he wa but nine years of age, and left his mother a widow with eleven children, Henry being the youngest son. When he was about sixteen years old he moved with his mother and one sister to Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Soon afterwards he entered Alleghany College, Pennsylvania, and studied medicine.
In the spring of 1852, in company with his mother and one sister, he started west in Doctor Miller’s train, arriving in Portland October 26th of that year. He came on to Seattle, Washington Territory, the following January, and in that year, 1853, took up one hundred and sixty acres in what is now known as Smith’s Avenue, a suburb of Seattle. In 1855 he spent nine months as surgeon in the Indian war, and was afterwards elected the first school superintendent of King County.
He has represented King county two terms in the legislature, Snohomish county, one term in the house and two terms in the council, at the last session of which he was president.
He conducted a hospital in Snohomish for eight years, and in 1866 sold most of his property to the Seattle & Lake Shore Railroad.
The Doctor has a family of eight children, seven daughters and one son.
