O'Brien Smith (April 27, 1811) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

political figure who served in South Carolina's House and Senate in the first decade of the 19th century, as well as one term in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

representing

South Carolina's 4th congressional district The 4th congressional district of South Carolina is a congressional district in upstate South Carolina bordering North Carolina. It includes parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. The district includes the two major cities of Green ...

. Born in the Kingdom of Ireland, Smith was in his late twenties when he arrived in South Carolina in the months immediately following the end of the Revolutionary War. He took the oath of allegiance to the Government of the United States on July 31, 1784, and began to participate in his adopted country's political activities, serving as a member of

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1789 to 1799 and in the South Carolina Senate in 1800. In 1804 he was elected as a

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

to the Ninth Congress for the term lasting from (March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1807). During this time in his life, Smith lived at the

Capers-Motte House The Capers-Motte House is a pre-Revolutionary house at 69 Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The house was likely built before 1745 by Richard Capers. Later, the house purchased and became the home of Colonel Jacob Motte, who served as the ...

in Charleston, South Carolina. O'Brien Smith was in his mid-fifties when he died in South Carolina, nearly three decades after arriving in the United States. There is no known historical record indicating the date and place of his birth, although the year is generally estimated to be 1756 and the country of birth is presumed to be Ireland. He was interred in the burial ground of the colonial Chapel of Ease of St. Bartholomew's Parish,

Colleton County Colleton County is in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,604. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lords ...

, near Jacksonboro.

External links

* Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives South Carolina state senators Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 1750s births 1811 deaths Place of birth unknown Date of birth unknown Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub