Richard Malcolm Smith
Mineola, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(December 29, 1852 - August 19, 1935) Born in Kentucky, Richard Malcolm Smith came to Texas in his youth. He found work as a journalist with the Galveston News and the Brazos Pilot. Smith attended his first Democratic state convention in 1878. He became a lawyer in 1885. Moving to Wood County in 1897, Smith established the Winnsboro Free Press and the Wood County News, which was purchased by the Mineola Monitor. He served as Wood County Judge from 1908 to 1912, then became judge of the 7th judicial district. He served in the Texas Legislature from 1931 to 1932. Smith and his wife Euzelia (1872-1960) were the parents of four sons. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Kentucky-born Richard Malcolm Smith came to Texas in his youth and made his mark first as a newspaperman with the Galveston News before turning to law and politics. Settling in Wood County in 1897, he founded the Winnsboro Free Press and the Wood County News, then served as county judge, district judge, and a member of the Texas Legislature in the early 1930s. His long public life spanned journalism, the bench, and the statehouse.
Why it matters
Local editors who doubled as judges and legislators were the connective tissue of small-town civic life, shaping public opinion and public policy alike in a fast-changing Texas.
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