Representative Ephraim Knight Smart

Ephraim Knight Smart (September 3, 1813 – September 29, 1872) was a United States Representative from Maine and a prominent Democratic politician, lawyer, editor, and public official in the mid-nineteenth century. His two terms in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and he participated actively in the democratic process while representing the interests of his Maine constituents.

Smart was born in Prospect, then part of Massachusetts (later in the state of Maine), on September 3, 1813. He attended the common schools and completed preparatory studies under private tutors, reflecting a course of education typical of aspiring professionals in New England during that era. He subsequently attended the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, an institution associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church that provided advanced instruction beyond the common schools. After his formal studies, he read law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced the practice of law in Camden, Maine, establishing himself in the legal profession at a relatively young age.

Smart’s early public career developed alongside his legal practice in Camden. In 1838 he was appointed postmaster of Camden, a position that combined administrative responsibility with local political influence. He was elected a member of the Maine State Senate, where he began to build a statewide reputation within the Democratic Party. In 1842 he was appointed aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor John Fairfield, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, a post that underscored both his political connections and his standing in state affairs. Seeking broader opportunities, Smart moved to Missouri in 1843 and continued the practice of law there, but he returned to Camden in 1844, resumed his legal practice, and was again appointed postmaster, reaffirming his central role in the civic life of his community.

As a member of the Democratic Party representing Maine, Smart advanced to national office in the late 1840s. He was elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849, and later to the Thirty-second Congress, serving from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853. His two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives placed him in Washington during a period marked by sectional tensions, debates over the expansion of slavery, and the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. During these years he contributed to the legislative process and participated in the formulation of national policy, representing the interests and concerns of his Maine constituents within the broader Democratic coalition.

After leaving Congress, Smart continued in federal and state public service and expanded his influence through journalism. From 1853 to 1858 he served as collector of customs at Belfast, Maine, an important federal revenue position in a coastal state whose economy was closely tied to maritime trade. In 1854 he established the Maine Free Press, a newspaper through which he served as editor for three years, using the press as a vehicle for political advocacy and public discourse. He was elected a member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1858, further extending his legislative experience at the state level.

Smart remained an active Democratic leader into the 1860s. In 1860 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Maine, a contest that took place on the eve of the Civil War, when party alignments and sectional loyalties were in flux. He again served in the Maine State Senate, continuing his long association with that body. Later he moved to Biddeford, Maine, where he established another newspaper, the Maine Democrat, reinforcing his role as both a political figure and an opinion-shaper in the state’s public life. Through these combined roles—as legislator, federal officeholder, and editor—he remained a significant presence in Maine politics over several decades.

Ephraim Knight Smart died in Camden, Maine, on September 29, 1872. He was interred at Mountain Street Cemetery in Camden. His career, spanning law, state and national office, federal administration, and newspaper publishing, reflected the multifaceted paths of nineteenth-century American public men and illustrated the ways in which legal practice, partisan politics, and the press intersected in the development of both Maine and the nation.