Vermont Governor John Gregory Smith was born in St. Albans on this day in 1818. He would be the third Vermont governor during the Civil War, elected for the first time in 1863 and again in 1864.

Smith was a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, and was known to converse with both Lincoln and his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton.

Smith lived in St. Albans all of his life. He donated the bronze fountain that stands in Taylor Park. Smith also donated $7,000 to fix the edifice of the Congregational Church. He died at home in St. Albans at age 73.

Photo courtesy The Vermonter, held in the collections of the Vermont Historical Society.