I'd go with either Savos Aren or Neloth. They should be on here.

Elenwen, really?

Herma-Mora obviously, he has all the knowledge. Regular mortals... Enthir has street smarts and a keen intellect, Esbern and Calcelmo are experts in their academic fields, Septimus is so absorbed in his hunt for knowledge it drove him mad. Is it even possible to choose one smartest person?

Delvin. He has brains, cunning, a good memory and knows how to use them, smarts.

One can be smart without being a genius, but can you be a genius without being smart?

Neloth.

Damn, I completely forgot about Neloth. If I had to pick one person, it'd be him. But I still prefer not to choose.

How did I forget about Neloth. Mind you, he's technically in territory of House Redoran/Morrowind and not Skyrim.

No Paarthurnax?

Hulda, owner of The Bannered Mane, Sir.

She always invites my character in like we are old friends.

The Inn is always full, the fire is always lit and the mead on tap is banging.

I am always spending my 'mad bank' in there.

Her till is full and she knows that it will always stay full as long as she keeps her customers happy.

When she is busy she calls Saadia over to serve you.

Smart, shrewd businesswoman. The smartest person in Skyrim.

Love her to bits.

I had a moment of dyslexia with this one.

How did you know I was dispepsic Sir?

Agreed about Delvin.

I also think Ulfric is smart. Stategic, and with an eye for advertising, at least.

Another smart person is Maven Black-Briar. You don't run a business empire like hers if you're stupid.

I think the OP and some posters here confuse "smart" with "book knowledge". You can be an expert in an area, still be a complete idiot in others (for some reason, I think of Sheldon Cooper ). You can be very clever, good at anolyze situations, have an excellent memory, be able to quickly see patterns, good at learning new things and at reading other people's reactions - all examples of things generally considered as signs of intelligence - without academic degrees.

Anyone but Esbern.

For that quest he gives you.

I refuse to do it. I always do.

Smartest person.

It's not a sign of being stupid. It's just a sign that he has another way of viewing things.

I know. But he was seriously dropped in my likeablitiy chart after that.

Your point?

He's sapient. He's a person.

I think OP meant Human, Elf, Argy or cat. Not dragons.

And I think you're incorrect. OP clearly stated "person" which does not exclude dragons.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/person?s=t

by definition, Paarth does not qualify

Based on that dictionary, elves, khajiit and argonians aren't persons either since they aren't human.

Ack! I was just about to reply the same.

OT

Um...what kind of smarts are you asking about?

I agree with Delvin and Ulfric being smart though they are not on the list.. Maven is also smart (remember when they took out sabjorn and took over honningbrew meadery? that was a clever plan). Septimus is smart... but a loonatic...well he sounds like one..

Augur of Dunlain