William Smith (South Carolina senator)
| William Smith | |
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United States Senator from South Carolina |
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In office November 29, 1826 – March 4, 1831 |
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| Preceded by | William Harper |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Miller |
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In office December 4, 1816 – March 4, 1823 |
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| Preceded by | John Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Robert Hayne |
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from the York district |
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In office November 28, 1831 – December 17, 1831 |
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| Preceded by | Benjamin Person |
| Succeeded by | William Hill |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the York district |
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In office November 22, 1824 – November 29, 1826 |
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| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | William McGill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1762 North Carolina, British America |
| Died | June 26, 1840 (aged 77–78) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party |
Democratic-Republican (Before 1825) Democratic (1828–1840) |
William Smith (1762 – June 26, 1840) was chosen as a Democratic-Republican to the U.S. Senate representing South Carolina in 1816. The legislature declined to re-elect him when his term expired in 1823. He was narrowly chosen senator in 1826 and was again replaced in 1831.
Smith was one of the first Southerners to argue, at the time of the Missouri Compromise in 1820, that slavery was a positive good; nevertheless, he opposed John C. Calhoun's doctrine and tactic of nullification. In 1828, seven electors from Georgia chose him for vice president, instead of Calhoun, the Democratic nominee. He was also a splinter candidate for vice president in 1836: Virginia refused to accept Richard Mentor Johnson as the Democratic vice presidential candidate, and voted for the ticket of Martin Van Buren and William Smith, putting Johnson two electoral votes short of a majority; the Senate chose Johnson.
In 1832, he moved to Louisiana, having lost his political base in South Carolina. In 1836, he moved on to Huntsville, Alabama, and was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives for Madison County from August 1, 1836, holding that seat for the rest of his life.
On March 3, 1837, outgoing President Andrew Jackson nominated Smith to the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed Smith's nomination by a vote of 23–18; nevertheless, Smith declined to serve.
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