William Smith (8 October 1697 – 22 November 1769) was an American lawyer and jurist.

Life

Smith was born on 8 October 1697 in

Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. The town is separated from the rest of the u ...

in England. He was the eldest of five sons born to Thomas Smith (1675–1745) and Susanna (

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

Odell) Smith (1675–1729). In 1715, he emigrated with his family to New York where his father became one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church on

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

, inviting

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...

to serve as minister. Once in America, Smith studied religion, law and the classics at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, graduating in 1719.

Career

After his graduation from Yale, he worked as a tutor there before being offered the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

when he was 27 years old. Smith declined the offer, in order to begin a law practice in New York City. In 1751, he was appointed

Attorney General of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...

, followed by an appointment as a member of the Governor's Council, serving on the latter from 1753 until 1767. In 1760, Smith was offered the position of Chief Justice of the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

. Against the advice of friends and family, he turned down the offer. Smith's son, the younger

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

, was then offered the position, which he accepted. In 1763, he became judge of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. He wrote the charter to create and was involved in the establishment of the College of New Jersey, today known as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and was a trustee from 1746 until his death (Jonathan Edwards later served as president of the College in 1758). Smith was also known for opposing the Anglican domination of King's College in New York (today

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

). He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1744. Smith was also known as part of the legal team that was victorious on behalf of the printer and

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

publisher

John Peter Zenger John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German printer and journalist in New York City. Zenger printed ''The New York Weekly Journal''. He was accused of Defamation, libel in 1734 by William Cosby, the royal governor of Pro ...

Personal life

In 1727, Smith was married to Mary Het (1710–1754), a daughter of René Het and Blanche Dubois, French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s who fled France following the Revocation of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

in 1685. Together, William and Mary were the parents of fourteen children, including: *

(1728–1793), the Chief Justice of the Province of New York and, later, of Canada in Quebec. He married Janet Livingston (1730–1819), a granddaughter of Robert Livingston the Younger. * Sarah Smith (1732–1815), who in 1755 married Abraham Keteltas, a minister elected to the Provincial Congress. * Elizabeth Blanche Smith (1736–1817), who married John Torrans (1702–1780). * James Smith (1738–1812), a physician. * Martha Smith (1745–1821), who married Ann Hawkes Hay, an American officer during the Revolutionary War. * Margaret Smith (1747–1799), who married Alexander Rose (1731–1801), who represented Prince George Winyah in the North Carolina Royal Assembly in 1779. * Thomas Smith, a physician. * Joshua Hett Smith (1749–1818), who was known as the "dupe of the

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

" for his participation in a conspiracy to capture

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

for the British. After the death of his first wife in 1754, he married noted hymnwriter Elizabeth (née Scott) Williams (1708–1776) in 1761. Elizabeth, the widow of

Elisha Williams Elisha Williams (August 26, 1694 – July 24, 1755) was a Congregational minister, legislator, militia soldier, jurist, and rector of Yale College from 1726 to 1739. Life The son of Rev. William Williams and his wife Elizabeth, née Cotton ...

(the 4th Rector of Yale College), was a sister to Thomas Scott and Dr.

Joseph Nicol Scott Joseph Nicol Scott M.D. (1703?–1769) was an English physician, dissenting minister and writer. Life He was the eldest son of Thomas Scott, an Independent minister at Hitchin and then Norwich, the half-brother of Daniel Scott, and was born abo ...

, and the niece of Daniel Scott (an English nonconformist minister and

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

). Smith died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on 22 November 1769.

References

External links

William Smith, 1697-1769, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of New York.
at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William 1697 births 1769 deaths American judges New York State attorneys general