James Milton Smith (October 24, 1823 – November 25, 1890) was a Confederate infantry colonel in the American Civil War, as well as a post-war Governor of Georgia.

[citation needed] Smith resigned from the army to enter politics and was elected a Democratic delegate to the Confederate Congress until hostilities ceased in 1865.

He was a supporter of creating a state department of agriculture, and was noted for appointing the most qualified candidates to fill openings in his administration, a contrast to the patronage system that was popular at the time.

[citation needed] In an 1876 interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Smith made racist remarks about African-Americans, calling them "idle, thriftless" and "always depending on the whites for everything".

Returning to his legal career, his former Civil War commander, John B. Gordon appointed him as Judge of the Chattahoochee Circuit of the Superior Court from 1888 until 1890.