This early American humorist was one of the most popular after the Civil War. From his home in Rome, and later in Cartersville, Smith would write letters in dialect as a Southerner and sign them with his pen name, Bill Arp. In 1865 he was elected to the Georgia Senate and in 1867 he served as mayor of Rome while writing as Bill Arp and practicing law. Henry Grady made Smith famous on a national level when he began to publish the pieces in the Atlanta Constitution.

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