Samuel Smith | |
|---|---|
 Portraitc. 1817 | |
| 9th Mayor of Baltimore | |
| In office 1835–1838 | |
| Preceded by | Jesse Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Sheppard C. Leakin |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office May 15, 1828 – December 11, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Macon |
| Succeeded by | Littleton W. Tazewell |
| In office December 2, 1805 – November 6, 1808 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Stephen R. Bradley |
| United States Senator fromMaryland | |
| In office December 17, 1822 – March 3, 1833 | |
| Preceded by | William Pinkney |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Kent |
| In office March 4, 1803 – March 4, 1815 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Howard |
| Succeeded by | Robert G. Harper |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5th district | |
| In office January 31, 1816 – December 17, 1822 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Ruxton Moore |
| Succeeded by | Isaac McKim |
| In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1803 | |
| Preceded by | William Vans Murray |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Ruxton Moore |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | |
| In office 1790–1792 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 27, 1752 |
| Died | April 22, 1839(1839-04-22) (aged 86) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican,Jacksonian |
| Spouse | Margaret Smith (née Spear) |
| Profession | |
| Signature | _(signature).jpg) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Continental Army Maryland Militia |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War Whiskey Rebellion War of 1812 |
Samuel Smith (July 27, 1752 – April 22, 1839) was an AmericanSenator andRepresentative fromMaryland, a mayor ofBaltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the older brother of cabinet secretaryRobert Smith.
Smith served twice asPresident pro tempore of the United States Senate, first from 1805 to 1808 and later from 1828 to 1831.
Smith was born inCarlisle in theProvince of Pennsylvania, and moved with his family toBaltimore in 1759. He attended a private academy, and engaged in mercantile pursuits until theAmerican Revolutionary War, at which time he served ascaptain,major, andlieutenant colonel in theContinental Army.
Before theAmerican Revolutionary War, he was sent toAnnapolis as a young captain to arrestGovernor Eden and seize his papers.[1]
On September 23, 1776, with the Revolutionary capital ofPhiladelphia on theverge of capture by the British,Washington sent Smith, then a Lieutenant Colonel of the4th Maryland Regiment, with aContinental Army detachment into the fort on Mud Island on theDelaware River.[2] Smith's force numbered 200 soldiers plus Major Robert Ballard of Virginia, MajorSimeon Thayer of Rhode Island, and Captain Samuel Treat[3] of the Continental Artillery.[4] However, another account stated that Thayer did not reach Fort Mifflin until October 19.[5] With the British army closing in on Philadelphia, the small force had to reach Fort Mifflin by a circuitous route. On the last leg of their journey, reinforcements for Mud Island had to be ferried across the Delaware fromRed Bank, New Jersey under the protection of thePennsylvania Navy river flotilla commanded byJohn Hazelwood. The fort was eventually overwhelmed by weeks of British bombardment and was abandoned.[4] After his service in the war, Smith engaged in the shipping business.
Colonel Smith was admitted as an original member of TheSociety of the Cincinnati ofMaryland when it was established in 1783.[6] He went on to serve as the vice president (1804–1828) and president of the Maryland Society (1828–1839), serving in the latter capacity until his death.[7]
Smith served as amajor general of Maryland militia during theWar of 1812, and commanded the defenses ofBaltimore during theBattle of Baltimore in September 1814. The American victory there is partly attributed to Smith's preparation for the British invasion.
From 1790 to 1792, Smith was a member of theMaryland House of Delegates. At the time of the threatened war withFrance in 1794, he was appointedbrigadier general of the Marylandmilitia and commanded Maryland's quota during theWhiskey Rebellion.
Smith entered into national politics when he was elected to theThird United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1793, until March 4, 1803. As aCongressman, Smith served as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Commerce and Manufactures (Fifth through Seventh Congresses). As a principal negotiator between the young Federalist leader and Delaware representative,James Asheton Bayard II, and the presumptive President-Elect Jefferson, Smith secured the winning ballot in the United States House of Representatives for Jefferson during the1800 United States presidential election.[8] Smith entered into theSenate election in 1802, and was elected as aDemocratic-Republican to theUnited States Senate. He was re-elected in 1808 and served from March 4, 1803 until March 4, 1815. While senator, Smith served asPresident pro tempore of the Senate during the Ninth and Tenth Congresses.
Smith was elected to the Fourteenth Congress on January 31, 1816 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofNicholas R. Moore, and was re-elected to the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Congresses. In the House, Smith served as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (Fourteenth Congress), and as a member of theCommittee on Ways and Means (Fifteenth through Seventeenth Congresses).
On December 17, 1822, Smith resigned as congressman, having been elected as a Democratic-Republican (later Crawford Republican and Jacksonian) to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofWilliam Pinkney. In March–April 1824, Samuel Smith was honored with a single vote at theDemocratic-Republican Party Caucus to be the party's candidate forU.S. Vice President at theelection later that year.
In 1828, Smith served as vice president of theMaryland State Colonization Society, of whichCharles Carroll of Carrollton, one of the co-signers of theDeclaration of Independence, was president.[9] The MSCS was a branch of theAmerican Colonization Society, an organization dedicated to returning black Americans to lead free lives in African states such asLiberia.
Smith served as President pro tempore of the Senate again during the Twentieth and Twenty-first Congresses, and as chairman of theCommittee on Finance (Eighteenth and Twentieth through Twenty-second Congresses). He was re-elected in 1826 and served until March 4, 1833. Two years later, in 1835, Smith becamemayor of Baltimore, and served in that position until 1838, when he retired from public life.
Samuel Smith, a distinguished American politician and military leader, died on April 22, 1839, at his residence,Montibello, nearBaltimore,Maryland. He was 86 years old at the time of his death. Following his passing, Smith was interred in the Old Westminster Burying Ground inBaltimore.[10]
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 5th congressional district March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1803 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Maryland March 4, 1803 – March 4, 1815 Served alongside:Robert Wright,Philip Reed andRobert H. Goldsborough | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate December 2, 1805 – November 6, 1808 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 5th congressional district January 31, 1816 – December 17, 1822 Served alongside:William Pinkney andPeter Little | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Maryland December 17, 1822 – March 4, 1833 Served alongside:Edward Lloyd andEzekiel F. Chambers | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee 1823 – 1832 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate May 15, 1828 – December 11, 1831 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland 1835 – 1838 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living U.S. senator March 7, 1838 – April 22, 1839 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| Commerce and Manufactures (1795–1819) |  | |
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| Commerce (1819–1893) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1893–1981) | ||
| Energy and Commerce (1981–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
