Samuel Emerson Smith (March 12, 1788 – March 4, 1860) was an American politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Smith served as the tenth

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is Ja ...

Early life

Smith was born in

Hollis, New Hampshire Hollis is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,342 at the 2020 census, growing 9% from the 2010 population of 7,684. The town center village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Ho ...

on March 12, 1788. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1808. He then studied law.

Career

Smith was admitted to the bar in 1812. Smith practiced law in

Wiscasset, Maine Wiscasset is a New England town, town in and the county seat, seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. He served as a representative to the Massachusetts General Court in 1819. He was as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1820 to 1821. In 1821 he was appointed chief justice of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas of the Second District and upon the reorganization of the court system, became an associate judge of its replacement court from 1822 to 1830.

Governor of Maine

Smith became the

in 1831. During his administration, the state capitol was moved from Portland to Augusta. The controversy over the northeastern boundary of the US, mainly the border between Maine and New Brunswick, continued to escalate. He left office on January 1, 1834.

Later life

After leaving the office, Smith was reappointed to the Court of Common Pleas. He served there from 1835 to 1837. He died on March 4, 1860.The Maine Historical Magazine
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References

Sources

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Samuel E. 1788 births 1860 deaths Democratic Party governors of Maine Harvard University alumni People from Wiscasset, Maine People from Hollis, New Hampshire Maine lawyers Maine state court judges Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers