William Smith (June 28, 1720 – March 17, 1799) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

He was born on June 28, 1720, at

Manor St. George Manor St. George or St. George's Manor was a large tract of land purchased by William "Tangier" Smith in the 17th century on Long Island, in central Suffolk County, New York. Parts of the original parcel, which was approximately of land, are ...

in Brookhaven,

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...

, the son of Maj. William Henry Smith (1690–1743) and Hannah (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Sayre) Cooper Smith. Before his parents marriage, his mother was married to John Cooper His maternal grandfather was Capt. Daniel Sayre and his paternal grandfather was

William "Tangier" Smith William "Tangier" Smith (February 2, 1655 – February 18, 1705) was a governor of Tangier, on the coast of Morocco, and an early settler of New York who owned more than of Atlantic Ocean waterfront property in central Long Island in New York Stat ...

, the Chief Justice of the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

Career

He was a judge of the Suffolk County Court from 1771 to 1775. At the outbreak of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

he sided with the Patriots. He stayed with friends in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

and got involved in politics. He was a member of the 3rd and 4th

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

es in 1776 and 1777. He was appointed by the New York Constitutional Convention to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

to represent the Southern District which was under British control and no State election could be held there. He was a member of the State Senate from 1777 to 1783, sitting in the 1st, 2nd,

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

, 4th, 5th and

6th New York State Legislature The 6th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from July 8, 1782, to March 27, 1783, during the sixth year of George Clinton's governorship, first at Poughkeepsie, then at Kings ...

s. He was one of nine senators who represented the Southern District of New York, which consisted of Kings,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and Westchester counties.

Personal life

He married Mary Smith (1735–1758). Before her death on April 22, 1758, they were the parents of: * John Smith (1752–1816), a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

who married three times, including to Elizabeth (née Woodhull) Nicoll, a daughter of Gen.

Nathaniel Woodhull General Nathaniel Woodhull (December 30, 1722 – September 20, 1776) was a leader of the New York Provincial Congress and a brigadier general of the New York Militia during the American Revolution. Biography Woodhull was born on December 30, 17 ...

. * Mary Smith (1758–1759), who died in infancy. On March 2, 1762, William married Ruth Woodhull (1740–1822), the sister of Gen.

and State Senator

Jesse Woodhull Jesse Woodhull (February 10, 1735 – February 3, 1795) was an American politician from New York. Life He was born on February 10, 1734/5, in Setauket, Suffolk County, Province of New York, the son of Nathaniel Woodhull (1691–1760) and Sarah ( ...

. Together, William and Ruth were the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters, including: * Hannah Smith (1764–1809), who married her cousin Capt. Richard William Woodhull, a son of Col.

. * William Smith (1769–1803), who married Hannah Phoenix Smith. * Sarah Smith (1773–1792), who died unmarried. * Elizabeth Smith (1775–1795), who died unmarried. He died on March 17, 1799.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William 1720 births 1799 deaths People from Mastic Beach, New York New York (state) state senators Members of the New York Provincial Congress 18th-century American politicians