Born in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Smith attended the common schools.

[1] He read law and was admitted to the bar in 1882 and practiced in Council Bluffs until 1890.

[2][3] Smith was nominated by President William Howard Taft on January 17, 1911, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge Willis Van Devanter.

[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 31, 1911, and received his commission the same day.

[2] His service terminated on January 27, 1922, due to his death in Council Bluffs.