Israel Smith
| Israel Smith | |
|---|---|
Silhouette of Israel Smith. Only known likeness.
|
|
| 4th Governor of Vermont | |
|
In office October 9, 1807 – October 14, 1808 |
|
| Lieutenant | Paul Brigham |
| Preceded by | Isaac Tichenor |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Tichenor |
|
United States Senator from Vermont |
|
|
In office March 4, 1803 – October 1, 1807 |
|
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Chipman |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Robinson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's 1st district |
|
|
In office October 17, 1791 – March 3, 1797 |
|
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Lyon |
|
In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803 |
|
| Preceded by | Matthew Lyon |
| Succeeded by | Gideon Olin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 4, 1759 Suffield, Connecticut |
| Died | December 2, 1810 (aged 51) Rutland, Vermont |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Profession | lawyer / politician |
Israel Smith (April 4, 1759 – December 2, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician. He held a wide variety of positions in the state of Vermont, including as a member of the United States House of Representatives, a member of the United States Senate and Governor of Vermont.
Smith was born in Suffield, Connecticut, where he spent his childhood. He studied at Yale University and graduated in 1781. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He began his law practice in Rupert, Vermont.
He married Abiah Douglass (1767-1836), and they had two children, William (1785-1822) and Horace (1787-1790). After Israel Smith's death Abiah married Colonel William C. Harrington, who became an attorney in Burlington, Vermont.
Smith began his political career in 1785 when he served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. He served in the Vermont House again from 1788 to 1791. During this period, he was active in solving Vermont's boundary disputes with other states and served as a delegate to the Vermont Constitutional Convention, at which Vermont ratified the American Constitution. By 1790 Smith had moved to Rutland, Vermont.
When Vermont became a state in 1791, Smith ran for Vermont's seat in the United States House of Representatives. In a bitterly fought election between Smith, Matthew Lyon and Isaac Tichenor, Smith received second place, 35% of the vote in the first round, but won the runoff against Lyon. Smith represented Vermont's 1st District in the U.S. House from 1791 to 1797. In 1792 and 1794, Lyon unsuccessfully ran against Smith, but in 1796 Smith was defeated by Lyon. By this time, Smith had become a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
...
Wikipedia