William Smith (Maryland politician)

William Smith (April 12, 1728 – March 27, 1814) was an American politician and representative of the fourth congressional district of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives.

William Smith
Smith and grandson Robert Smith Williams, portrait by Charles Willson Peale
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791
Preceded byNobody (District Created)
Succeeded bySamuel Sterett
Personal details
Born(1728-04-12)April 12, 1728
Donegal Township, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
DiedMarch 27, 1814(1814-03-27) (aged 85)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyAnti-Administration

Formative years and family

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Born on April 12, 1728, in the Province of Pennsylvania in what is now Donegal Township, Lancaster County, Smith moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1761.

Smith's daughter, Mary Smith, later married General Otho Holland Williams, the founder of Williamsport, Maryland.

Career

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Appointed to the committee of correspondence in 1774 and to the committee of observation in 1775, Smith also served in the Revolutionary War as deputy adjutant general to Generals Horatio Gates and Nathanael Greene.

In 1777, Smith was appointed by the Continental Congress to the naval board. That same year, Smith was chosen as a Maryland delegate to the Continental Congress.

He subsequently pursued a career as a merchant, and was then elected to the 1st United States Congress, serving in that capacity from March 4, 1789, until March 3, 1791.

Smith was subsequently appointed as the first auditor of the United States Treasury, and served in that post from July 16, 1791, to November 27, 1791. He then returned to local politics and was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1801.

Death and interment

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Smith died in Baltimore and was interred in the Old Westminster Graveyard.

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References

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  1. ^ Laura (December 2011). "Research notes: Mrs. James Smith and Grandson" (PDF). Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved November 23, 2013.

Further reading

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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Seat created
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 4th congressional district

1789–1791
Succeeded by