Smith Thompson

Smith Thompson

Smith Thompson (born January 17, 1768 in New York City , † December 18, 1843 ) was an American politician , lawyer and judge at the US Supreme Court .

Life

Thompson studied at Princeton University and then took an apprenticeship for a short time. He then graduated with a law degree and practiced as a lawyer.

As a member of the Democratic-Republican Party , he received a seat in the lower house of the state New York ( New York State Assembly ) . Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as a judge to the New York Supreme Court , where he served 16 years - including four as chairman.

However, his ambition was directed towards political offices. So he was from January 1, 1819 to August 30, 1823 Secretary of the Navy under President James Monroe . In the presidential election in 1824 he wanted to run as his party's candidate, but could not prevail against Andrew Jackson .

He accepted, albeit reluctantly, a nomination for Supreme Court judge. He was an Associate Justice from September 1, 1823 until his death . However, he did not give up his political ambitions and took the unusual step of applying as a judge for a position in politics. However, his candidacy as governor of New York in 1828 was unsuccessful, which is why he almost completely withdrew from political life. Within the court, he was a staunch opponent of presiding judge John Marshall .

The USS Smith Thompson (DD-212) was named after him.

Web links

• Literature by and about Smith Thompson in the WorldCat bibliographic database
• Smith Thompson in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)

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