Jonathan Bayard Smith (February 21, 1742 – June 16, 1812) was an American politician and merchant from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

who was one of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the Am ...

. Smith served as a delegate for

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

in 1777 and 1778, where he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

Early life

Smith was born on February 21, 1742, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mary Harrison and Samuel Smith. His father was a successful mercantile businessman in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

, who had moved to Philadelphia. Smith graduated from

Princeton 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 ni ...

in 1760 and joined his father in business. He was elected to the revived

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1768. His first marriage was to Susannah Bayard of Maryland. Together, they had one son, Samuel Harrison Smith, who founded the ''National Intelligencer'' newspaper.

Revolutionary War

Smith became a member of the local committee of safety and in 1775 was made its secretary. He was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777, serving from April 4 of that year until November 1778. While in Congress, Smith endorsed the Articles of Confederation for Pennsylvania. He resigned from the Continental Congress to assist in the defense of Philadelphia in 1778. Having advocated taking up arms (a sometimes unpopular stance in largely

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

Pennsylvania) he also joined the militia, becoming a lieutenant colonel of

John Bayard John Bubenheim Bayard (11 August 1738 – 7 January 1807) was a merchant, soldier, and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He achieved the rank of colonel while serving with the Continental Army, and was a delegate for Pennsylvania t ...

's regiment and serving in the

Brandywine Brandywine may refer to: Food and drink *Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine *Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato Geographic locations Canada * Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia * Brandywine Mountain, British ...

campaign.

Later work

After his congressional career, Smith returned his attention to business, but remained active in civic affairs. In 1778 he became a member of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. He became a great promoter of education and in 1779 was one of the founders and a trustee of the "University of the State of Pennsylvania". In 1795, when it merged with two other schools to become the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, Smith became a trustee of the new school, serving until his death. He also served as a trustee for his alma mater, Princeton, for thirty years. Smith served in other fraternal and civic organizations. He became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in Philadelphia, a grand master of the Masons, and a member of the

. Smith died at his residence in Philadelphia in 1812 and was buried in the Second Presbyterian Church Graveyard. In 1867, his remains were reinterred to Mount Vernon Cemetery.

References

University of Pennsylvania archives

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jonathan B. 1742 births 1812 deaths 18th-century American politicians Bayard family Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia Colonial American merchants Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Members of the American Philosophical Society Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution People of colonial Pennsylvania Princeton University alumni Signers of the Articles of Confederation University of Pennsylvania people Founding Fathers of the United States