William Stephens Smith (November 8, 1755 – June 10, 1816) was a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
New York
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* 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
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Film and television
* '' ...
. He married
Abigail "Nabby" Adams, the daughter of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
, and so was a brother-in-law of President
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
and an uncle of
Charles Francis Adams Sr.
Early life
Born in
Suffolk County, on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
, he graduated from the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
) in 1774 and studied law for a short time.
American Revolutionary War
Smith served in the
Revolutionary Army
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
as
aide-de-camp to General
John Sullivan in 1776. He fought in the
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...
, was wounded at
Harlem Heights, fought at the
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...
, was promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
at the
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, ...
and fought at the
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...
and
Newport. He was on the staff of
General Lafayette in 1780 and 1781, became an
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
in the Corps of
Light Infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often foug ...
, then transferred to the staff of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
.
Later life
Smith was secretary of the
Legation
A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legations ...
at London in 1784. While there, he met and courted
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
's daughter
Abigail ("Nabby"), whom he married in 1786. He returned to America in 1788.
He was appointed by President
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
to be the first
US Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated ...
for the District of New York in 1789 and later
supervisor of revenue. He was one of the originators of the
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...
and served as its president from 1795 to 1797. He was appointed Surveyor of the
Port of New York by President John Adams in 1800. The Smiths bought land in what was then the countryside outside
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and planned to build an estate, which they called Mount Vernon, in honor of President Washington. They never lived there, but a carriage house on the property was later converted to a hotel and is now operated as the
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum.
Along with General
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spani ...
, Colonel Smith raised private funds, procured weapons, and recruited
soldiers of fortune to liberate
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
from Spanish colonial rule. That action was inspired by Smith's renewal of acquaintance with Miranda, whom Smith had first met when he was John Adams's secretary in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. On February 2, 1806, a force of 200
filibusters, including Smith's son William Steuben, set sail to Venezuela on a chartered merchant vessel, the ''Leander'', armored by
Samuel G. Ogden. In
Jacmel
Jacmel (; ht, Jakmèl) is a commune in southern Haiti founded by the Spanish in 1504 and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, Miranda acquired two other ships, the ''Bacchus'' and the ''Bee''. On April 28, a failed attempt to land in
Ocumare de la Costa
Ocumare de la Costa () is a small coastal town and the capital of the Ocumare de la Costa de Oro Municipality, located 25 miles north of Aragua, Venezuela. Called simply ''Ocumare'', the colonial town sits at the skirts of the Venezuelan Coastal ...
resulted in two Spanish vessels capturing the ''Bacchus'' and ''Bee''. Sixty men, including Smith's son, were taken prisoner and put on trial in
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the coun ...
for
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
, and ten were sentenced to
death by hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
. Their bodies were beheaded and quartered, with pieces sent to nearby towns as a warning. Smith survived and later escaped his captors and made his way home. Miranda, aboard the ''Leander'' and escorted by the packet ship
HMS ''Lilly'', escaped to the British islands of
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
,
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
, and
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, where the governor
Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, (5 July 1764 – 3 May 1843) was a senior British Army officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Serving exclusively in Colonialism, colonial campaigns, Hislop fought in the West Indies be ...
agreed to provide some support for a second attempt to invade Venezuela. The ''Leander'' left
Port of Spain
Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
on July 24, together with
HMS ''Express'',
HMS ''Attentive'',
HMS ''Prevost'', and HMS ''Lilly'', carrying some 220 officers and men. General Miranda decided to land in
La Vela de Coro
La Vela de Coro is the port of Coro, Venezuela. Coro and its port form a conurbation, although Coro is in the municipality of Miranda and La Vela is in a separate municipality, Colina.
The twin settlements were founded by the Spanish in the 16t ...
and the squadron anchored there on August 1, carrying a flag that Miranda had designed, which later became the
flag of modern Venezuela. Nevertheless, the local support that he had hoped for failed to materialize when the fighting started. Much of the local population joined the Spanish against the mercenaries and August 13, Miranda hastily retreated to Aruba and Trinidad, where he left the ''Leander'' to avoid the prosecution of Spanish fleet.
In the aftermath of the failed expedition, Colonel Smith and Ogden were indicted by a federal grand jury in New York for violating the
Neutrality Act of 1794
The Neutrality Act of 1794 was a United States law which made it illegal for a United States citizen to wage war against any country at peace with the United States.
The Act declares in part:
If any person shall within the territory or jurisdi ...
and put on trial. Colonel Smith claimed his orders came from President
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and
US Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
, who refused to appear in court. Judge
William Paterson of the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
ruled that the President "cannot authorize a person to do what the law forbids." Both Smith and Ogden stood trial and were found not guilty.
[Ross, Shelley ''Washington Babylon'' Allison & Busby 1989] His son William Steuben later escaped from the jail in Puerto Cabello.
In 1807 Smith moved to
Lebanon, New York
Lebanon is a town in Madison County, New York state, United States. The population was 1,332 at the 2010 census. The town is believed to be named after Lebanon, Connecticut.
The Town of Lebanon is on the southern border of the county.
Histor ...
. He was elected as a
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
to the
13th United States Congress
The 13th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1813 ...
, holding office from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1815. He ran for a second term in
1814
Events January
* January 1 – War of the Sixth Coalition – The Royal Prussian Army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher crosses the Rhine.
* January 3
** War of the Sixth Coalition – Siege of Cattaro: French garrison s ...
, and appeared to defeat
Westel Willoughby Jr.
The
Secretary of State of New York
The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS).
The current secretary of state of New York ...
initially issued his credentials of election to the
14th United States Congress
The 14th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...
, but Smith did not claim the seat. Some of the ballots had been returned for "Westel Willoughby," without the "Jr.," and so Smith initially appeared to have a majority. Smith declined to challenge the results, and on December 15, 1815, at the start of the first session of the 14th Congress, the House voted that Willoughby was entitled to the seat.
Death
Smith died in Smith Valley in the town of Lebanon in 1816. He is interred in the West Hill Cemetery in the Town of
Sherburne, on
New York State Route 80
New York State Route 80 (NY 80) is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY&n ...
.
Family
![Abigail Adams Smith by Mather Brown, 1785](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Abigail_Adams_Smith_by_Mather_Brown%2C_1785.jpg)
William Stephens Smith was the son of John Smith, a wealthy
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
merchant, and Margaret Stephens. He had many brothers and sisters, and his sister Sally was married to
Charles Adams, the son of
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
and brother of
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
. Sally's daughter Abigail Louisa Smith Adams married the banker and philosopher
Alexander Bryan Johnson
Alexander Bryan Johnson (May 29, 1786, Gosport, Hampshire, Eng. — September 9, 1867, Utica, N.Y., U.S.), was a British-born American philosopher and semanticist. He immigrated to the United States as a child and worked as a banker in Utica, New ...
; their son, William's grandnephew,
Alexander Smith Johnson, became a judge.
He and his wife,
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...
, had four children:
*William Steuben Smith
*John Adams Smith
*Thomas Hollis Smith
*Caroline Amelia Smith – married John Peter DeWint of
Fishkill-on-Hudson
In popular culture
*Smith was portrayed by
Andrew Scott in the 2008 miniseries,
''John Adams''.
*''
Incidents in the Life of John Edsall
''Incidents in the Life of John Edsall'' is an autobiography, autobiographical memoir published in Catskill (town), New York, Catskill, New York (state), New York, in 1831. John Edsall (1788 – 1860) was an illiterate American sailor who participa ...
'' is an autobiographical memoir published in Catskill, New York, in 1831. John Edsall (1788 – after 1850) was an illiterate American sailor who participated in several historically significant voyages and events. Edsall's seafaring adventures began at age 18 when he was inveigled into joining the filibustering expedition of General Francisco de Miranda to liberate Venezuela in 1806.
References
*
*
Raymond, Marcius DenisonColonel William Stephens Smith New, York Genealogical and Historical Record 25, 4 (1894): 153-61.
External links
Full text archive of 'General Miranda's Expedition' from the ''Atlantic Monthly'' May 1860
* ''General Miranda's Expedition'' an 1860 account of the Leander affair https://www.fulltextarchive.com/page/Atlantic-Monthly-Vol-5-No-31-May-18603/#p71
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Stephens
1755 births
1816 deaths
18th-century American people
19th-century American politicians
Adams political family
Aides-de-camp of George Washington
American filibusters (military)
Continental Army officers from New York (state)
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
People from Long Island
Princeton University alumni
United States Marshals