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Smith, Samuel
Smith, Samuel (1752–1839) Revolutionary War army officer, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator. From Maryland, Smith began a career in commerce but accepted a commission as a captain in a Maryland regiment when the Revolution began. He fought well in several engagements in New Jersey and New York, including White Plains (1776) and Monmouth (1778). As a lieutenant colonel, in 1777 he led his troops in a valiant resistance against British forces at Fort Mifflin; although in the end he was unsuccessful, he managed to tie up British reinforcements that might otherwise have aided Gen. John Burgoyne at Saratoga and caused an American defeat. In 1779 he resigned his commission and for the rest of the war managed a privateer fleet. In the 1780s he enjoyed great success in commerce and began vastly wealthy; his interests turned to politics, and in 1792 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served four terms. Smith brokered the deal that gave the election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson when the Electoral College deadlocked and the election went to the House; he was acting secretary of the navy in Jefferson's cabinet and in 1803 won election to the Senate, where he served two terms. He did not get along with James Madison, who succeeded Jefferson in 1809, but served ably in the War of 1812.
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"Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-SmithSamuel.html "Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-SmithSamuel.html |
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Smith, Samuel
Smith, Samuel (1720–76),Quaker public official of New Jersey, author of The History of the Colony of Nova‐Caesaria, or New Jersey …to the Year 1721 (1765), a patriotic but even‐tempered study which, though it begins its general account with Columbus, places primary emphasis on the 17th century.
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Cite this article
James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-SmithSamuel.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Smith, Samuel." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-SmithSamuel.html |
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