Robert Smith (Maryland politician)

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Smith was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and later graduated from Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey. As a respected lawyer, Smith became part of Baltimore's political elite, launching his political career under Thomas Jefferson and later James Madison.<ref name=":0" />

After a forced resignation from the Cabinet in 1811,<ref name=":0" /> Smith served as president of the American Bible Society and the Maryland Agriculture Society. Retired from public office, Smith died in 1842.

Early life

Smith was born in Lancaster, Province of Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, Smith enlisted as a private in the Continental Army, later participating in the Battle of Brandywine.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He graduated from Princeton in 1781 and was admitted to the Maryland Bar. In private practice, Smith specialized in admiralty law.<ref name=":0" /> Smith flourished as a maritime lawyer, establishing the "largest admiralty practice of his time."<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>

Political career

Smith was well-respected from his legal career.<ref name=":1" /> Due to his public profile, Smith was selected as an elector to the Electoral College representing Maryland during the 1788–89 United States presidential election.

Elected office

After Smith's entry to partisan politics, he was elected to the Maryland State Senate from 1793 to 1795 and to the Maryland House of Delegates from 1796 to 1800. While serving in the Maryland House, Smith was also elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1798.<ref name=":0" />

Cabinet Secretary

As a legal expert in admiralty law, Thomas Jefferson appointed him as Secretary of the Navy in July 1801, after William Jones declined the position.<ref name=":0" /> On March 2, 1805, the Senate confirmed the appointments of Smith as United States Attorney General and Jacob Crowninshield as Secretary of the Navy. However, Crowninshield declined his appointment for health reasons<ref>Padgett, James A. “THE LETTERS OF DOCTOR SAMUEL BROWN TO PRESIDENT JEFFERSON AND JAMES BROWN.” Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, vol. 35, no. 111, 1937, p. 106 fn 36. JSTOR website Retrieved 18 Aug. 2025.</ref>, so Smith briefly served as both Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy.

Eventually, President Jefferson appointed John Breckinridge to replace Smith as Attorney General and Smith resumed his role as a full-time Secretary of the Navy.

Smith left the office of Secretary of the Navy at the end of President Jefferson's administration on March 4, 1809. President James Madison appointed Smith to serve as Secretary of State on March 6, 1809, and he served in this position until his forced resignation on April 1, 1811.<ref name=":0" />

Policies

During his time as Secretary of State, Smith pursued an assertive policy to claim the Spanish-controlled West Florida.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref> In October 1810, Smith lied to General Louis Marie Turreau, claiming the United States would not support rebellion in the territory.<ref name=":2" /> Later the same month, Smith received word from David Holmes that West Florida declared its independence. American forces subsequently invaded West Florida.<ref name=":2" />

In personal correspondence, Smith pushed for an amendment to ban persons with foreign titles from serving in the New Hampshire legislature, though the amendment failed.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Resignation

Smith was closely allied with his brother, Maryland Senator Samuel Smith, and bitterly opposed Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. In March 1811, Gallatin threatened to resign if Madison didn't dismiss Smith.<ref name=":0" />

Madison thought that Smith could be his own Secretary of State, but Smith so often pursued opposite policies that Madison finally demanded his resignation. In Madison's April 1811 "Memorandum on Robert Smith," the president offered a laundry list of Smith's shortcomings. Madison questioned Smith's loyalty; found Smith's diplomatic correspondence wanting, and noted that Smith had been indiscreet in conversations with the British and had opposed the administration's efforts to secure concessions from Britain and France by limiting trade.

Apparently, Smith was bewildered by these and other charges leveled by Madison and published an exoneration of himself, "Robert Smith's Address to the People of the United States," which was an attack on Madison's foreign policy. Madison offered Smith the post of Minister to Russia, which was currently held by John Quincy Adams. Smith considered the offer, but in the end, he refused the post.<ref>Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg. Madison and Jefferson, New York: Random House (2010), p. 495.</ref>

Personal life

Smith became the president of the not-yet-fully-organized American Bible Society in 1813. In 1818, he became the founding president of the Maryland Agriculture Society and afterwards retired to a more private life where he enjoyed his wealth.

Robert Smith died in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 26, 1842, aged 85.

Death and legacy

The Template:USS was named for him.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

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  • Clifford Egan, "Robert Smith" in Edward S. Mihalkanin, ed. American Statesmen: Secretaries of State from John Jay to Colin Powell, Greenwood Press 2004, pp. 478–83.

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