William Smith (South Carolina senator)
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William Smith (September 6, 1762–June 26, 1840) was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the U.S. Senate representing South Carolina in 1816. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection when his term expired in 1823. He was again elected Senator in 1826 and was again an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1831.
In the presidential election of 1836, 23 electors from Virginia voted for him for Vice President. Those same electors had voted for Martin Van Buren for President and were pledged to vote for Van Buren's running mate Richard M. Johnson, but instead cast their votes for Smith. This denied Johnson the electoral majority and resulted in the only vice presidential contest so far that needed to be determined by the Senate. The Senate elected Johnson Vice President. This was not the first time that faithless electors had voted for Smith. In the election of 1828, seven electors from Georgia who were pledged to vote for John C. Calhoun voted for Smith instead.
On March 3, 1837, outgoing President Andrew Jackson nominated Smith to the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed Smith's nomination by a vote of 23–18; nevertheless, Smith declined to serve.
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| Preceded by: John Taylor |
U.S. Senator from South Carolina 1816–1823 |
Succeeded by: Robert Y. Hayne |
| Preceded by: William Harper |
U.S. Senator from South Carolina 1826–1831 |
Succeeded by: Stephen D. Miller |
