He was the proprietor of Shreveport Southwestern Telegram and president of the Shreveport Savings Bank & Trust Company.
Congress
Smith was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress to fill the vacancy created by the death of Representative-elect Samuel Peters and served from November 24, 1873, until March 3, 1875.
Considered a Carpetbagger, Smith was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress and was succeeded by the DemocratWilliam M. Levy.