| John R. Smith | |
| Term Start: | January 1, 1898 |
| Term End: | 1899 |
| Appointed: | State Board of Agriculture |
| Predecessor: | James M. Mewborne |
| Birth Date: | July 1837 |
| Death Date: | April 14, 1921 |
| Death Place: | Goldsboro, North Carolina |
| Party: | Republican |
John R. Smith (July 1837 – April 14, 1921) was an American politician who served as the sixth North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture.
Smith was born in July 1837. He married twice.[1]
Smith was a Republican. He was appointed superintendent of the State Penitentiary by Governor Daniel Lindsay Russell. He took office on March 7, 1897.[2] Upon uncovering evidence of misconduct, Russell arranged for Smith swap to positions with James M. Mewborne, the commissioner of agriculture.[3] The State Board of Agriculture elected him on December 14, 1897, to succeed Mewborne effective January 1, 1898. At the board's next meeting on June 14, a motion was introduced to deem Smith unfit for office and form a committee to ask for his resignation. After heated debate, the motion was tabled.[4] Smith was succeeded by Samuel L. Patterson in 1899.[5]
Smith died at his home in Goldsboro on April 14, 1921.[6]