Smith, John W.

Great early San Antonio leader, a native of North Carolina. Moved to Illinois, then to Missouri, where he was sheriff of Rawls County in 1824. Came to Texas with Green DeWitt in 1826 and settled at Gonzales. Smith moved to San Antonio in 1828 and was soon in banking-mercantile, brokerage-contracting business. Loyal to Democracy and opposed to dictatorship, he was active in defending Texas against Mexico, 1835-42. He participated in "affair at Gonzales" (Oct. 2, 1835), "storming of Bexar" (Dec. 1835), siege of the Alamo (March 1836), and the Battle of the Salado (Oct. 1842). Divorced on Jan. 15, 1831, in Missouri from Harriet Stone, he married Maria Curbelo, a descendant of the Canary Islanders who came to San Antonio in 1731. Attorney for many pioneer Texans, he was dominant political figure in Bexar County during 1836-45 era. Elected first county clerk on May 1, 1837, and first Mayor of San Antonio Sept. 18, 1837, by Jan. 1838 he had been appointed postmaster as well. From 1842 to 1845 he served he republic as senator from Bexar. During regular session of the 9th Congress, he died at Washington-on-the-Brazos. His grave is located in a State Park there. This marker stands at the site of his early home in La Villita De San Fernando.

Smith, John W. is a historical marker in San Antonio, Bexar County, dedicated in 1973. It is one of 236 historical markers documented in Bexar County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 503 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.4211, -98.4889 near San Antonio. The nearest cataloged historic site is The Caile House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include St. John's Lutheran Church, St. Philip's College, and Little Church of La Villita.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5029004962. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.