Nathan Smith (politician)

Nathan Smith (January 8, 1770 – December 6, 1835) was a United States senator from Connecticut.

Nathan Smith
United States Senator
from Connecticut
In office
March 4, 1833 – December 6, 1835
Preceded bySamuel A. Foot
Succeeded byJohn M. Niles
United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut
In office
1829–1829
PresidentAndrew Jackson
Preceded byHezekiah Huntington
Succeeded byAsa Child
Personal details
Born(1770-01-08)January 8, 1770
Woodbury, Connecticut Colony, British America
DiedDecember 6, 1835(1835-12-06) (aged 65)
Washington, D.C.
Political partyNational Republican
Alma materLitchfield Law School
Occupationlawyer politician

Biography

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Nathan Smith was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, son of Richard and Annis (Hurd) Smith; brother of Nathaniel Smith and uncle of Truman Smith. He received a modest education. He studied law with his brother and at Litchfield Law School in 1790; was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced the practice of his profession in New Haven. In 1808 Smith received an honorary master's from Yale. He was also an incorporator of Washington College, later known as Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.[1]

Career

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Smith was prosecuting attorney for New Haven County from 1817 until his death in 1835. He was also a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1818. In 1825, he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Connecticut, but was appointed United States Attorney for the district of Connecticut, serving in 1828 and 1829.[2]

Elected as a National Republican to the United States Senate, Smith served from March 4, 1833, until his death.[3] He was 63 when he took his seat in the US Senate, one of the oldest serving members of that body and his only time in elected office.

Death

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Smith died in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 1835 (age 65 years, 332 days). President Jackson and his Cabinet attended Smith's funeral in the Senate Chamber and there was also a large funeral service held in New Haven. He is interred at the Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut. There is a cenotaph at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nathan Smith". Litchfield Historical Society. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Nathan Smith". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Nathan Smith". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Nathan Smith". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
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  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Party political offices
Preceded by Federalist nominee for Governor of Connecticut
1820
Succeeded by
Timothy Pitkin
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from Connecticut
1833–1835
Served alongside: Gideon Tomlinson
Succeeded by