Gerrit Smith

Gerrit Smith

Gerrit Smith (born March 6, 1797 in Utica , New York , †  December 28, 1874 in New York City ) was an American politician who campaigned as an abolitionist for the abolition of slavery in the United States . In 1853 and 1854 he represented New York State in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Gerrit Smith attended a school in Clinton and then until 1818 the local Hamilton College . After completing a law degree, he was admitted to the bar. Since 1853 he practiced this profession in Peterboro . He also owned larger estates, some of which he later left to his homeland for the Afro-American population. Politically, he was an opponent of slavery and alcohol consumption. He also supported the women's rights movement . In 1824 and 1828 he was a delegate to a state convention. He played a major role in founding the short-lived Liberty Party . In 1840 he applied unsuccessfully for the office of governor of New York; in 1848 he was his party's presidential candidate. However, given the prevailing political majorities at the time, he had no chance of being elected; with 0.1 percent of the vote, he took fourth place.

After that, Smith joined the Free Soil Party . In the congressional elections of 1852 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 22nd  electoral district of New York , where he succeeded Henry Bennett on March 4, 1853 . He could remain in Congress until his resignation on August 7, 1854 . This time was shaped by the events leading up to the civil war .

After serving in the US House of Representatives, Smith returned to practice as a lawyer. He was also active as a publicist and philanthropist and was a strong advocate for the abolition of slavery. He was one of the secret financial supporters of John Brown in his attack on Harpers Ferry in 1859. He supported the civil war, which he saw primarily from the point of view of the liberation of slaves. Smith became a member of the Republican Party . After the war, however, he advocated mild treatment of the political leaders of the former confederation . This brought him into conflict with the radical wing of his party. In June 1872 he participated as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia , on which President Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for re-election. Gerrit Smith died on December 28, 1874 while visiting New York City.

Web links

• Gerrit Smith in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Gerrit Smith in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry Bennett	United States House Representative for New York (22nd constituency) March 4, 1853 - August 7, 1854	Henry C. Goodwin