Israel Smith | |
|---|---|
 Silhouette of Israel Smith (only known likeness) | |
| 4th Governor of Vermont | |
| In office October 9, 1807 – October 14, 1808 | |
| Lieutenant | Paul Brigham |
| Preceded by | Isaac Tichenor |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Tichenor |
| United States Senator fromVermont | |
| In office March 4, 1803 – October 1, 1807 | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Chipman |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Robinson |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew Lyon |
| Succeeded by | Gideon Olin |
| In office October 17, 1791 – March 3, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Lyon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1759-04-04)April 4, 1759 |
| Died | December 2, 1810(1810-12-02) (aged 51) Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | West Street Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont |
| Party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Abiah Douglass (m. 1783-1810, his death) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Israel Smith (April 4, 1759 – December 2, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician. He held a wide variety of positions in the state ofVermont, including as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives, a member of theUnited States Senate, the fourthgovernor of Vermont.
Smith was born inSuffield in theColony of Connecticut, where he spent his childhood. He studied atYale University and graduated in 1781.[1] He studied law with his brotherNoah Smith, and wasadmitted to the bar. He began his law practice inRupert, Vermont.
He married Abiah Douglass (1767-1836), and they had two children, William (1785-1822) and Horace (1787-1790). After Israel Smith's death Abiah married Colonel William C. Harrington, who became an attorney inBurlington, Vermont.
Smith began his political career in 1785 when he served as a member of theVermont House of Representatives. He served in the Vermont House again from 1788 to 1791. During this period, he was active in solving Vermont's boundary disputes with other states and served as a delegate to the Vermont Constitutional Convention, at which Vermont ratified the American Constitution. By 1790 Smith had moved toRutland, Vermont.
When Vermont became a state in 1791, Smith ran for Vermont's seat in theUnited States House of Representatives. In a bitterly fought election between Smith,Matthew Lyon andIsaac Tichenor, Smith received second place, 35% of the vote in the first round, but won the runoff against Lyon. Smith represented Vermont's 1st District in the U.S. House from 1791 to 1797.[2] In 1792 and 1794, Lyon unsuccessfully ran against Smith, but in 1796 Smith was defeated by Lyon. By this time, Smith had become a member of theDemocratic-Republican Party.[3]
In 1797, Smith again briefly served in the Vermont State House. He becameChief Justice of theVermont Supreme Court in 1797,[4] but resigned the following year. In 1800, Smith was reelected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served until 1802.
In 1802, Smith was elected to theUnited States Senate from Vermont, and served in the Senate from 1803 to 1807. Smith challenged one of his old political rivals — governor Isaac Tichenor, who served as governor from 1797 to 1807 — six times. He was unsuccessful in his first five attempts in 1799,[5] 1800,[6] 1801,[7] 1802,[8] and 1806,[9] but finally defeated Tichenor in 1807. Smith resigned from the Senate and served asGovernor of Vermont from 1807 to 1808,[10] when he was defeated for reelection by Tichenor,[11] who served for one last year before being defeated in 1809 byJones Galusha.[12]
After leaving the governorship, Smith resumed practicing law in Rutland. He became ill and died in Rutland. He was interred at West Street Cemetery in Rutland.[1] His home in Rutland has been preserved.[13]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1799,1800,1801,1802 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jonathan Robinson | Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1806,1807,1808 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's 1st congressional district 1791-1797 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's 1st congressional district 1801-1803 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Vermont 1803–1807 Served alongside:Stephen R. Bradley | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont 1807–1808 | Succeeded by |
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