John Speed Smith (July 1, 1792 – June 6, 1854) was an attorney and politician, a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, and a state representative for several terms, as well as state senator. He served for four years as a US District Attorney. He was the father of

Green Clay Smith Green Clay Smith (July 4, 1826 – June 29, 1895) was a United States soldier and politician. Elected to the Kentucky state house before the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a Union officer when he volunteered, advancing to the rank of ...

, who also served as a state representative and US Congressman.

Early life, education and military service

John Speed Smith was born on July 1, 1792, to Mary (née Speed) and William Smith near Nicholasville, Kentucky in Jessamine County. Smith attended a private school in Mercer County. After that, he "read the law" with an established firm. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1812 and commenced practice in Richmond, Kentucky. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Smith enlisted as a private. He was subsequently promoted and commissioned as a major. He served as aide-de-camp, with the rank of colonel, to General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, later president of the United States.

Marriage and family

In 1815 at the age of 23, Smith married Elizabeth Lewis Clay (1798-1887), then 17, the daughter of

Green Clay Green Clay (August 14, 1757 – October 31, 1828) was an American businessman, planter, military officer and politician from Kentucky. Clay served in the American Revolutionary War and was commissioned as a general to lead the Kentucky militia ...

, considered one of the wealthiest men in Kentucky, and Sally (Lewis) Clay."KOAR's Russian Connection"
Kentucky Online Arts Resource Blog, 15 October 2012 Their several children included Sally Ann Lewis Smith (1818-1875), named for her maternal grandmother; Curran Cassius Smith,

, named for his maternal grandfather; Pauline Green Smith, Junius Brutus Smith (never married), Mary Spencer Smith(never married), and John Speed Smith, Jr. Thomas Speed, ''Records and Memorials of the Speed Family''
''Courier-Journal'' Job Printing Company, 1892, pp. 88-89 Curran Cassius Smith became a doctor. He also managed his father's estate after his mother was widowed, making his home with her and his family.

followed his father and maternal uncles into law and politics, serving at both the state and federal levels.

Political career

John Speed Smith was elected to the state house of representatives in 1819, serving one term. Smith was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Seventeenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George Robertson and served from August 6, 1821, to March 3, 1823. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1822. He was elected again as a member of the state house of representatives in 1827, when he was also elected as speaker of the Kentucky House. Smith was appointed by 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 ...

to go on a mission to South America. He was appointed as United States district attorney for Kentucky by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, serving 1828-1832. He was elected again to the state house in 1839, 1841, and 1845. He was elected as a member of the state senate, serving 1846-1850. Smith died in Richmond, Kentucky, June 6, 1854, and was interred in Richmond Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Speed 1792 births 1854 deaths Kentucky state senators Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Kentucky in the War of 1812 People from Jessamine County, Kentucky United States Army officers Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Green Clay family 19th-century American politicians United States Attorneys for the District of Kentucky