William L. Smith

William L. Smith

William Loughton Smith (* 1758 in Charleston , Province of South Carolina , †  December 19, 1812 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1789 and 1797 he represented the state of South Carolina in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Smith was born in Charleston during the British colonial era. Between 1770 and 1774 he attended schools in motherland England . He also studied law in London in 1774. He then continued his education between 1774 and 1778 in Geneva , Switzerland . In 1783 he returned to Charleston. There he was admitted to the bar in 1784, after which he became active in this profession. He also ran an estate outside of Charleston. At the same time, Smith began a political career. He was a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina in 1787 and 1788 . In addition, he held a few local offices in Charleston. Smith became a supporter of the pro-administration faction of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington . Consequently, he later joined the Federalist Party founded by Hamilton .

In the elections to the first congressional in 1788, Smith was elected to the US House of Representatives in the first constituency of South Carolina. There he took up his new mandate on March 4, 1789. After four re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his resignation on July 10, 1797 . In 1791, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution were passed. The 11th amendment to the constitution followed in 1795 . Smith was chairman of the electoral committee from 1793 to 1795. From 1795 he was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means , which he chaired from time to time.

Between 1797 and 1801 Smith was ambassador to Portugal . In the meantime, he was also intended as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire . But he did not take up this office. In 1804, 1806, and 1808, Smith competed unsuccessfully to return to Congress. In 1808 he became a lieutenant in the state militia. In the same year he was re-elected to the House of Representatives of his state. Smith was also President of Santee Canal Co. and Vice President of the Charleston Library Society and the St. Cecilia Society . He died on December 19, 1812 in his hometown of Charleston.

Web links

• William L. Smith in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William L. Smith in the database of Find a Grave (English)