Robert Smith (1757 - 1842)

Born 3 Nov 1757 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Smith — married 7 Dec 1790 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Died 26 Nov 1842 at age 85 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Biography

Robert Smith is Notable.

Preceded by 1st Secretary Benjamin Stoddert 5th Secretary James Madison

Robert Smith 2nd United States Secretary of the Navy 1801—1809 6th United States Secretary of State 1809—1811

Succeeded by 3rd Secretary Paul Hamilton 7th Secretary James Monroe

Robert Smith served with Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State. Son of John and Mary (Buchanan) Smith.^[1]

Robert Smith was the second United States Secretary of the Navy from 1801 to 1809 and the sixth United States Secretary of State from 1809 to 1811. Smith’s controversial appointment and clashes with Madison influenced his service as Secretary of State. He was the brother of Senator Samuel Smith.

Smith was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the Continental Army and participated in the Battle of Brandywine. He graduated from Princeton in 1781 and began to practice law in Maryland. Smith became the Presidential Elector in the Electoral College for Maryland in 1789, then a member of state's senate from 1793 to 1795, and finally a member of Maryland's house of delegates from 1796 to 1800. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him as Secretary of the Navy in July, 1801 after William Jones declined the position. On March 2, 1805, the Senate confirmed the appointments of Smith as United States Attorney General and Jacob Crowninshield as Secretary of the Navy. However, Crowninshield declined his appointment, so Smith briefly served as both Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy.

Sources

1. ↑ Dictionary of American biography by American Council of Learned Societies, Published 1943. Vol 17 page 337

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smith_(Cabinet_member)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Hall_and_Burying_Ground
• Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Robert Smith (1757–1842), United States Department of State.
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 10 April 2020), memorial page for Robert Smith (3 Nov 1757–26 Nov 1842), Find A Grave: Memorial #6856909, citing Westminster Burial Ground, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .

Acknowledgements