George W. Smith, VA Governor 1811, 1811 Signed Document as Acting Gov.

Part-printed document dated 1 July 1811 Signed by James Wood as Lt. Governor of Virginia.  The document is an appointment of Stephen Sanders as a sheriff.  Document: Size 8 in. by 7.5 in. on laid, rag-content paper; age toned, edge nicks, fine condition.  Intact Virginia Seal embossed on paper on wax seal at lower left.

George W. Smith; " George William Smith (1762 – December 26, 1811) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who served several terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and was twice the acting governor of the state before then being elected as the 17th Governor of Virginia. His term as elected governor was short and ended with his death in the Richmond Theatre fire of 1811.

Like his father, the younger Smith soon entered politics, representing Essex County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1790 to 1794. He later took his law practice to Richmond and, in 1801, again won election to the state house, this time representing the city. He was elected to represent Richmond in the House in its 1807–08 session but lost his seat when his opponent, John H. Foushee, successfully contested the election results. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed to the Virginia Council of State by the General Assembly, soon becoming its president and thus the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.[2][1]

As the senior member of the Virginia Council, Smith became the acting Governor of Virginia, between the terms of John Tyler Sr. and James Monroe, for five days in January 1811.[4] He became acting Governor again, from April to December of the same year, when Monroe resigned to become United States Secretary of State.[4] Smith was then elected to the office in his own right as the 17th Governor of Virginia, representing the Democratic-Republican Party.[4] However, his official tenure lasted only three weeks before his death during the great Richmond Theatre fire of December 26, 1811.[5] Governor Smith had initially reached safety, but he went back into the fire and died trying to find his young son.[1] The Governor's sudden and unexpected death left the Virginia executive branch in turmoil, prompting acting Governor Peyton Randolph to push the legislature to appoint a successor swiftly.[6]  " Wikipedia

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