Hon. Ellison Griffith Smith, born December 5, 1851, in Noble County, Ohio, was a distinguished lawyer, jurist, and legislator from Yankton, South Dakota. Son of Amos and Mary (Ellison) Smith, he moved to Delaware County, Iowa, in his youth. Smith graduated from the University of Iowa in 1871 and its law department in 1873. He practiced law in Yankton from 1876, served as the first judicial circuit judge from 1885, and held various other roles including reporter of the supreme court and district court judge. He married Anna Kirkwood in 1877, and they had three children: Agnes, Ellison G., and Amos C.
Hon. Ellison Griffith Smith.— Distinguished as lawyer, jurist, legislator, and official, also enjoying marked precedence as a citizen, few men of South Dakota have been as prominently before the public as Hon. Ellison Griffith Smith, of Yankton, present judge of the first judicial circuit. Mr. Smith is a native of Noble County, Ohio, and the son of Amos and Mary (Ellison) Smith, the father born April 14, 1813, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the mother in the state of Ohio. When a child Amos Smith was taken by his parents, George and Elizabeth (Thornton) Smith, to Noble County, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. His father was a native of Germany but was brought to this country when quite young and spent his youth and early married life in Pennsylvania, subsequently, as stated above, becoming one of the pioneers of Ohio. The Thorntons came originally from England and settled in one of the eastern colonies. During the war of the Revolution, they remained loyal to the mother country, and being pronounced in their Tory sentiments, they suffered great hardships at the hands of their Whig neighbors, losing nearly all their property besides being subjected to many personal indignities.
Amos Smith, the subject’s father, was married at the age of thirty-eight to Miss Mary Ellison and for some years followed merchandising in Noble County. By reason of impaired health, he disposed of his interests and removed with his family to Delaware County where he acquired large landed property and engaged quite extensively in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He still owns about five hundred acres in the richest farming districts of that state and is one of the wealthy men and prominent citizens of the County in which he lives. To Amos and Mary Smith have been born seven children, namely: Ellison Griffith, whose name introduces this review; Emma, widow of E. C. Brown, of Aberdeen; Amos, an architect, living at Hopkinton, Iowa; Abbie, wife of H. C. Jackson, also resides in that place; Jason T., attorney at law, Yankton; Carrie B., now Mrs. Dr. F. A. Williams, of Chicago, Illinois; and Edith, who is still with her parents, all living and well settled in life.
Ellison Griffith Smith was born December 5, 1851, and when a child was taken to Delaware County, Iowa, where he spent his youth under the wholesome and invigorating discipline of the farm. After acquiring his preliminary education in the common schools, he took a course in Lennox College, and later entered the University of Iowa, from which institution he was graduated in 1871 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His literary education finished, he took up the study of law and in 1873 was graduated from the law department of the State University, after which he spent some time on the farm for the purpose of recuperating his health, which had become considerably impaired on account of the strenuous character of his legal studies. In the fall of 1873, Mr. Smith was elected principal of the Mechanicsville high school and at the close of the term, he entered the office of a prominent attorney with the object in view of reviewing his studies preparing to engage in the practice of his profession. Later he drifted west and in 1876, during the gold excitement in the Black Hills, made his way to Yankton, South Dakota, where he effected a co-partnership in the law with Hon. G. C. Moody, at that time judge of the circuit court, but later federal judge and United States senator. Mr. Smith began the practice at Yankton under the most favorable auspices and at once stepped into a large and lucrative business which his distinguished associate had previously acquired. After Mr. Moody’s election to the federal judgeship, the entire business fell to the subject, including the office of register in bankruptcy, and right well did he look after the interests of his clientele, winning in a short time a conspicuous place among the representative members of the Yankton bar. After practicing for some years with a large measure of success and gaining much more than local repute, he was elected reporter of the supreme court, which position he held some eight or ten years, meanwhile looking after his private interests. While serving as reporter, Mr. Smith was made district court judge and in this capacity presided at the first court ever held in the city of Pierre. He was also associated for some time with Hon. Hugh J. Campbell as assistant United States district attorney, and later succeeded to that office and discharged his duties in an able and satisfactory manner for a period of about four years. Mr. Smith, in 1885, was elected judge of the first judicial circuit and has filled this high and responsible position by continuous re-elections ever since, his career on the bench having been eminently satisfactory and honorable. He seldom commits errors of sufficient import to justify reversal at the hands of the supreme court, and to the lawyers and litigants, he is universally courteous, thus winning the confidence and high regard of all having business to transact in his jurisdiction.
In the years 1887-8, Judge Smith represented the first senatorial district in the state legislature and took an active part in the deliberations of the session. He has been a member of the Yankton school board for a number of years and as such has labored diligently and untiringly to advance the standard of education in the city. The Judge is a Mason of high degree, belonging to the blue lodge in Yankton, also to DeMolay Commandery No. 1, of the same place. His name adorns the records of the local lodges of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order United Workmen, and Modern Woodmen of America, in all of which he is a zealous member.
In 1877 Judge Smith was united in marriage with Miss Anna Kirkwood, of Hopkinton, Iowa, the union being blessed with three children: Agnes, Ellison G., and Amos C., who, with their parents, constitute a happy and agreeable home circle. In politics, the Judge is a staunch Republican and his influence has had much to do in shaping the policy of the party in this state and promoting its success.
Source: Robinson, Doane, History of South Dakota: together with mention of Citizens of South Dakota, [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen, 1904.