Maggie Hathaway was born in 1867 in Ottawa, Ohio, the daughter of a Methodist Episcopal minister. She became a teacher when she was fifteen and taught in Ohio. Smith arrived in Montana in 1894, serving the Helena schools for a period before eventually becoming principal and county superintendent of schools in Helena. She actively lobbied for women’s suffrage and served as one of the first two women in the Montana legislature, 1917–1921. In 1920, the Democratic caucus elected her the minority floor leader, making her one of the first women in American history to receive this distinction. Hathaway's tireless work ethic and relentless devotion to the causes that she championed earned her the respect of her fellow male legislators.