Robert Smith (November 3, 1757 – November 26, 1842) was an American politician, diplomat, and

admiralty law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

yer. He served as the second United States Secretary of the Navy from 1801 to 1809 and the sixth United States Secretary of State from 1809 to 1811. He was the younger brother of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Samuel Smith Samuel Smith may refer to: In politics *Samuel Smith (Connecticut politician) (1646–1735), early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut and deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut in 1691 *Samuel Smith (1754–1834), British Member ...

. Smith was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and later graduated from Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey. As a respected lawyer, Smith became part of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

's political elite, launching his political career under Thomas Jefferson and later James Madison. After a forced resignation from the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in 1811, Smith served as president of the American Bible Society and the Maryland Agriculture Society. Retired from public office, Smith died in 1842.

Early life

Smith was born in Lancaster,

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

. During the American Revolutionary War, Smith enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

, later participating in the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

Legal practice

He graduated from Princeton in 1781 and was admitted to the

Maryland Bar The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Maryland. The association pursues the following mission: "to effectively represent Maryland’s lawyers, to provide member services, and to promote profes ...

. In private practice, Smith specialized in

. Smith flourished as a maritime lawyer, establishing the "largest admiralty practice of his time."

Political career

Smith was well-respected from his legal career. Due to his public profile, Smith was selected as an elector to the Electoral College representing Maryland during the

1788–89 United States presidential election The 1788–1789 United States presidential election was the first quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789, under the new Constitution ratified that same year. George Washington ...

Elected office

After Smith's entry to partisan politics, he was elected to the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

from 1793 to 1795 and to the Maryland House of Delegates from 1796 to 1800. While serving in the Maryland House, Smith was also elected to the

Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds reg ...

in 1798.

Cabinet Secretary

As a legal expert in admiralty law, 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 Jacob Crowninshield (March 31, 1770 – April 15, 1808) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and appointee to the position of U.S. Secretary of the Navy, which he never filled. His brother Benjamin Williams Crowninshield did succes ...

as Secretary of the Navy. However, Crowninshield declined his appointment, so Smith briefly served as both Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy. Eventually, President Jefferson appointed John Breckinridge to replace Smith as Attorney General and Smith resumed his role as a full-time Secretary of the Navy. Smith left the office of Secretary of the Navy at the end of President Jefferson's administration on March 4, 1809. President James Madison appointed Smith to serve as Secretary of State on March 6, 1809, and he served in this position until his forced resignation on April 1, 1811.

Policies

During his time as Secretary of State, Smith pursued an assertive policy to claim the Spanish-controlled West Florida. In October 1810, Smith lied to General

Louis Marie Turreau Louis-Marie Turreau (4 July 1756, Évreux, Eure – 10 December 1816, Conches), also known as ''Turreau de Garambouville'' or ''Turreau de Linières'', was a French general officer of the French Revolutionary Wars. He was most notable as the ...

, claiming the United States would not support rebellion in the territory. Later the same month, Smith received word from David Holmes that West Florida declared its independence. American forces subsequently invaded West Florida. In personal correspondence, Smith pushed for an amendment to ban persons with foreign titles from serving in the

New Hampshire legislature The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 memb ...

, though the amendment failed. Resignation Smith was closely allied with his brother, Maryland Senator

, and bitterly opposed Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. In March 1811, Gallantin threatened to resign if Madison didn't dismiss Smith. Madison thought that Smith could be his own Secretary of State, but Smith so often pursued opposite policies that Madison finally demanded his resignation. In Madison's April 1811 "Memorandum on Robert Smith," the president offered a laundry list of Smith's shortcomings. Madison questioned Smith's loyalty; found Smith's diplomatic correspondence wanting, and noted that Smith had been indiscreet in conversations with the British and had opposed the administration's efforts to secure concessions from Britain and France by limiting trade. Apparently, Smith was bewildered by these and other charges leveled by Madison and published an exoneration of himself, "Robert Smith's Address to the People of the United States," which was an attack on Madison's foreign policy. Madison offered Smith the post of Minister to Russia, which was currently held by John Quincy Adams. Smith considered the offer, but in the end, he refused the post.

Personal life

Smith became the president of the not-yet-fully-organized American Bible Society in 1813. In 1818, he became the founding president of the Maryland Agriculture Society and afterwards retired to a more private life where he enjoyed his wealth. Robert Smith died in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, on November 26, 1842, aged 85.

Legacy

The was named for him.

References

* Clifford Egan, "Robert Smith" in Edward S. Mihalkanin, ed. ''American Statesmen: Secretaries of State from John Jay to Colin Powell'', Greenwood Press 2004, pp. 478–83.

External links

*
Robert Smith
at the Naval Historical Center
Robert Smith
at the United States Department of State
Robert Smith
at the Hall of the Secretaries of State , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert 1757 births 1842 deaths American people of the War of 1812 Burials at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground Continental Army soldiers Jefferson administration cabinet members Maryland state senators Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania People of Maryland in the American Revolution Princeton University alumni United States secretaries of the navy United States secretaries of state Madison administration cabinet members American slave owners 19th-century Maryland politicians