Samuel Smith (Maryland)

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For other people with the same name, see Samuel Smith.
Samuel Smith
Samuel Smith (Maryland)

In office
March 4, 1803March 3, 1815
December 17, 1822March 3, 1833
Preceded by John E. Howard
William Pinkney
Succeeded by Robert G. Harper
Joseph Kent

Born July 27, 1752
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA
Died April 22, 1839
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Political party Democratic-Republican, Democrat
Profession Politician, Merchant
Signature Samuel Smith (Maryland)'s signature

Samuel Smith (July 27, 1752April 22, 1839) was a United States Senator and Representative from Maryland, as well as a former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the brother of cabinet secretary Robert Smith.

[edit] Biography

Born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Smith moved with his family to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1759. He attended a private academy, and engaged in mercantile pursuits until the American Revolutionary War, at which time he served as captain, major, and lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army. After the war, Smith engaged in the shipping business.

General Samuel Smith
General Samuel Smith
Senator Samuel Smith
Senator Samuel Smith

From 1790 to 1792, Smith was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. At the time of the threatened war with France in 1794, he was appointed brigadier general of the Maryland militia and commanded Maryland’s quota during the Whiskey Rebellion. Smith served as a major general of Maryland militia during the War of 1812, and commanded the defenses of Baltimore during the Battle of Baltimore and Fort McHenry in 1814. The American victory there can largely be attributed to Smith's preparation for the British invasion.

Smith entered into national politics when he was elected to the Third Congress, serving from March 4, 1793, until March 3, 1803. As a congressman, Smith served as chairman of the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures (Fifth through Seventh Congresses). Smith entered into the senate race in 1802, and was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States Senate. He was re-elected in 1808 and served from March 4, 1803 until March 3, 1815. While senator, Smith served as President 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 of Nicholas R. Moore, and was re-elected to the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Congresses. In the House, Smith served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (Fourteenth Congress), and as a member of the Committee 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 of William Pinkney. Smith served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Twentieth and Twenty-first Congresses, and as chairman of the Committee on Finance (Eighteenth and Twentieth through Twenty-second Congresses). He was re-elected in 1826 and served until March 3, 1833. Two years later, in 1835, Smith became mayor of Baltimore, and served in that position until 1838, when he retired from public life. Smith died in Baltimore in 1839, and is interred in the Old Westminster Burying Ground.

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Preceded by
William V. Murray
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 5th congressional district

March 4, 1793March 3, 1803
Succeeded by
Nicholas R. Moore
William McCreery
Preceded by
John E. Howard
United States Senator (Class 1) from Maryland
March 4, 1803March 3, 1815
Served alongside: Robert Wright, Philip Reed and Robert H. Goldsborough
Succeeded by
Robert G. Harper
Preceded by
Joseph Anderson
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
December 2, 1805November 6, 1808
Succeeded by
Stephen R. Bradley
Preceded by
Nicholas R. Moore
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 5th congressional district

January 31, 1816December 17, 1822
Served alongside: William Pinkney and Peter Little
Succeeded by
Isaac McKim
Preceded by
William Pinkney
United States Senator (Class 1) from Maryland
December 17, 1822March 3, 1833
Served alongside: Edward Lloyd and Ezekiel F. Chambers
Succeeded by
Joseph Kent
Preceded by
Walter Lowrie
Pennsylvania
Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
18231833
Succeeded by
Daniel Webster
Massachusetts
Preceded by
Nathaniel Macon
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
May 15, 1828December 11, 1831
Succeeded by
Littleton W. Tazewell
Preceded by
Jesse Hunt
Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland
18351838
Succeeded by
Sheppard C. Leakin
Preceded by
Paine Wingate
Oldest living U.S. Senator
March 7, 1838April 22, 1839
Succeeded by
Nathaniel Chipman