John Smilie (1741 – December 30, 1812) was anIrish-American politician fromNewtownards, County Down, Ireland. He served in both houses of thePennsylvania state legislature and represented the commonwealth in theU.S. House from 1793 until 1795 and from 1799 to 1812.
Smilie was born inIreland and immigrated on May 24, 1762, settling first inLancaster County. He moved to Fayette in 1780. He was a prominentJeffersonian and was identified with the "'Quid" branch of the party. In 1806–07, during the debates over the abolition of theslave trade, Smilie was among the most outspoken against the evils of the slave trade. He argued that slaves illegally imported after 1808 should be freed, and that slave smugglers deserved the death penalty. Neither provision was adopted.[citation needed]
In 1791, Smilie was elected a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[1]
He served in the U.S. House from 1793 until 1795, then again from 1799 to 1812. He was reelected in 1812 to serve in theThirteenth Congress but died before it opened.
He died inWashington, D.C., aged 71, and is buried in theCongressional Cemetery there.
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| Preceded by | Member,Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, representingFayette County November 2, 1786 – November 19, 1789 | Succeeded by Nathaniel Breading |
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| Preceded by None | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's at-large congressional district 1793-1795 | Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 11th congressional district 1799–1803 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 9th congressional district 1803–1812 | Succeeded by |
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