James T. Smith Papers

James T. Smith was born in Rosscommon, Ireland, on 4 May 1846. As a young boy, he and his parents emigrated to America and settled in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the 1st Regiment of Volunteers, he acted as Drill Master and Color Sargent at the outbreak of the Civil War. Before the War's end he had been promoted to Captain and served with the 1st Louisiana Volunteers, the 18th U. S. Infantry and the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Properties until his discharge in Mary 1870. Immediately following the end of his army career, Smith traveled west to Colorado.

A talented journalist, Smith was the associate eidtor of the Golden Transcript at the recommendation of William N. Byers. Byers founded the Rocky Mountain News. Serving on the Golden City Council, Smith was instrumental in establishing the City's first fire department in 1872. As mining flourished, he also recognized the need for the establishment of a technical educational institution dedicated to that industry. A result of this realization was the founding of the Colorado School of Mines, on whose Board Smith served from 1876 until 1921.

Smith moved from Golden to Denver in 1877, becoming the associate editor of the Rocky Mountain News and in 1878 was promoted to managing editor. Smith remained in this position, with the exception of two years as the City Auditor (1891-1893) and a brief stint as city editor of the Denver Times, for the next fifty years. During his tenure as auditor, Smith was active in the transfer of City Park from the State of Colorado to the city, the organization of the first paid fire department in Denver and financial activities that led to the city's recognition as the "Model American City Government." In 1876, Smith was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Secretary of State.

Mr. Smith died at the age of 79 on 1 December 1925.