William Smith (Maryland politician)

This article is about the Continental Congressmen from Maryland. For other people with the same name, see William Smith.

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 by	Nobody (District Created)
Succeeded by	Samuel Sterett
Personal details
Born	(1728-04-12)April 12, 1728 Donegal Township, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
Died	March 27, 1814(1814-03-27) (aged 85) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Anti-Administration

Formative years and family

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

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

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

Gallery

• 
  Mrs. James Smith and Grandson, a 1776 portrait by Charles Willson Peale of Smith's mother Mary and his son Campbell.

References

• United States Congress. "William Smith (id: S000624)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Further reading

• Information about Smith's residency in Baltimore on land now included in Herring Run Park: Wood, Pamela (May 16, 2015). "Archaeological dig uncovers Herring Run Park's past". Baltim. Sun. The property was first settled in 1695, but Smith was its most famous resident.