A native of Kentucky, John Peter Smith migrated to Fort Worth in 1853. He worked as a teacher, clerk, and surveyor before his appointment as Deputy Surveyor of the Denton Land Department in 1855, for which he received payment in property. Also a student of law, he was later admitted to the bar.
Although opposed to the secession of Texas during the Civil War, Smith raised a company of Tarrant County men for the Confederacy and joined Sibley's Brigade in 1861. While in the war he served in the unsuccessful invasion of New Mexico, the recapture of Galveston in 1863, and was severely wounded at Donaldsville, Louisiana, later that year.
After the war Smith returned to Fort Worth, where he became involved in the development of the City. He helped organize a bank, gas light company, and street railway. He also donated land for parks, cemeteries,and a hospital, later named John Peter Smith Hospital. In 1882 he became Mayor and directed the establishment of many public services, including the school system and the water department.
In 1901 Smith died in St. Louis, Missouri, while on a promotional trip for Fort Worth. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, a site he donated to the city. (1980)