Robert Lloyd Smith

Full Name: Robert Lloyd Smith
Date of birth: January 6, 1861
Date of death: July 10, 1942

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
H	43	Jan 12, 1897 - Jan 10, 1899	25th ⁽¹⁾	Republican	Oakland / Colorado		Colorado
H	43	Jan 8, 1895 - Jan 12, 1897	24th ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾	Republican	Oakland / Colorado		Colorado

(1) Republican. Texas Legislative Manual.
(2) Republican. Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas: List of Senators and Representatives.
(3) District 43, composed of Colorado county. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(4) Republican. "Official Returns," "The Next Legislature," The Galveston Daily News, 11/15/1894, p. 6, crediting Abilene Library Consortium. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).

Terms of Service top

House District 43
Jan 12, 1897 - Jan 10, 1899
Legislatures: 25th ⁽¹⁾
Party: Republican
Home City/County: Oakland / Colorado
Counties in district: Colorado

House District 43
Jan 8, 1895 - Jan 12, 1897
Legislatures: 24th ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾
Party: Republican
Home City/County: Oakland / Colorado
Counties in district: Colorado

Biographical Information top

Selected newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

79th Legislature, R.S., HR 589, paying tribute to African American legislators and constitutional convention delegates of 1868-1900. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
81st Legislature, R.S., HCR 81, paying tribute to African American legislators and constitutional convention delegates. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
85th Legislature, R.S., HR 452, celebrating Black History Month and honoring the leadership and vision of African American lawmakers. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.

Biographical Sketches

Portrait and biographical sketch. Forever Free: Nineteenth Century African-American Legislators and Constitutional Convention Delegates of Texas, 2002.
SMITH, ROBERT LLOYD (1861-1942). Handbook of Texas Online.
Biographical sketch, pp. 75-76. History of the Republican Party in Texas 1865-1965, 1965.
Biographical sketch, Chapter VI, "Black Belt Politics," pp. 110-111. The Negro in Texas, 1874-1900, 1971.
Biographical sketch, pp. 101-104; Letter recalling 24th Legislature, "A personal afterword," pp. 120-121. Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants: A History of the Negro in Texas Politics from Reconstruction to Disfranchisement, 1935.
Biographical sketch. p. 15. "He was born January 6, 1861 in Charleston, South Carolina, of free parents." Robert Lloyd Smith and the Farmers' Improvement Society of Texas, 1974.
Biographical sketch, Robert L. Smith, p. 159. Born 1/6/1861 in Charleston, South Carolina. Texas State Government: A Volume of Biographical Sketches and Passing Comment, 25th Legislature, 1897.
Biographical sketch, pp. 66-67, "He [Robert Lloyd Smith] was reelected in the same county in 1897, making him the only black to serve in the Twenty-fifth Legislature and the last black to sit in the Texas Legislature until Barbara Jordan was elected to the Senate in 1966." Birth year 1861, death year 1942, Appendix D. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares: Black Leadership in Texas, 1868-1898, 2016.
Biographical sketch and photos, "Teacher, Statesman, Pioneer: Former Legislator Founded Group That Helped Long-Term Prosperity for Blacks in Texas," 1/15/2011, p. 1D.
Biographical sketch, exhibit at the Texas Collection at Baylor University, and photos, "Exhibit Hails Black Pioneer: Texas Collection Celebrates Legacy of Robert Lloyd Smith, Founder of Farmers Improvement Society," 2/4/2012, p. 1D. Member of the Texas House of Representatives in 1894 and 1896. Waco Tribune-Herald.

Other Resources

Photo, p. 120; founder of Farmers' Improvement Society, pp. 90, 148-149; state business league, p. 153. Black Texans: A History of African Americans in Texas, 1528-1995, 1996.
Robert Loyd Smith, birth date 1/8/1863 in South Carolina; death date 7/10/1942 in Waco, McLennan County, Texas; teacher. FamilySearch Texas Deaths, 1890-1976.
Robert Lloyd Smith (1861-1942), burial in Greenwood Cemetery, Waco, McLennan County. Includes photos of R.L. Smith Elementary School in Waco and Texas State Cemetery memorial for Reconstruction Legislators. Find a Grave.
Mentioned in Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants, 1970.

Photographs

Photograph. R.L. Smith, 25th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. R.L. Smith, 24th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Robert Lloyd (R.L.) Smith, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

24th session composite photo of House members (House chamber gallery, east wall. 3W.2). State Preservation Board.
25th session composite photo of House members (House chamber gallery, east wall. 3W.2). State Preservation Board.
24th session composite photo of House members by Hill (Texas State Library and Archives Commission). Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Committee Information top

25th R.S. - 1897 Education Institute for the Colored Deaf, Dumb and Blind, Special Penitentiaries Public Printing
24th R.S. - 1895 Education Military Affairs Privileges and Elections Ventilation of the House, Special

This website is a work in progress. Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.

Party information is not available for the 1st-11th Legislatures.

Have a question, comment or contribution? Email the Library or call 512-463-1252.

Many photos in Texas Legislators: Past and Present are used with permission of the Texas State Preservation Board. For permission to reproduce these photos, please contact the Texas State Preservation Board graphics coordinator at 512-475-3060.