Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/439

 SMITH

SMITH

He was commissioner of armistice with Mexico in October, 1847 ; commanded the 2d division of the U.S. army ; was military governor of Vera Cruz in May, 1848, and later commanded the departments of California and Texas. He was brevetted major-general of U.S.A. for Monterey in 1849, and brigadier-general for Contreras and Churubusco, Dec. 30, 1856, and served in garrison at Kansas. He died in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., May 17, 1858.

SMITH, Preston, soldier, was born in Giles county, Tenn., Dec. 25, 1823. He attended Jack- son college, Columbia, Tenn., and practised law in Columbia, Waynesboro, Tenn., and in Memphis, Tenn. He was appointed colonel of the 154th regiment of Tennessee militia and in 1861 joined the Confederate States army, receiving the com- mission of brigadier-general, Oct. 27, 1863. He succeeded Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson in command of the 1st brigade, 2d division, 1st army corps, Army of the Mississippi, atShiloh. where he was wounded April 6, 1863 ; and commanded a brigade under Gen. P. R. Cleburne in the invasion of Kentucky, taking part in the combat at Rich- mond, Ky., Aug. 80, 1862. He commanded a brigade of Cheatham's division at Chickamauga, where he was mortally wounded during a night attack. He died on the battlefield of Chick- amau-a. Ga.. Sept. 20, 1863.

SMITH, Richard, delegate, was born in Bur- lington, N.J., March 22, 1735; brother of John Smith (1732-1771), the provincial councillor of New Jersey and of Samuel Smith (1721-1776), the historian. He carried on an extensive corre- spondence with Dr. Tobias George Smollett pre- vious to the Revolution ; was a delegate to the Continental congress, 1774-76 ; resigning in 1776, owing to enfeebled health and not being in full sympathy with the Patriot cause. His corre- spondence with Smollett was published in the^4^ lantic Monthly one hundred years later. He was taking an extended journey through the south for the benefit of his health, at the time of his death, which occurred at Natchez, Miss., in 1803.

SMITH, Robert, first bishop of South Carolina, and 6th in succession in the American episcopate, was born in Norfolk county, Eng., June 25, 1732. He was graduated at Gonville and Caius college, Cambridge University, Eng., A.B., 1753, and became a fellow of the university. He was ad- mitted to the diaconate, March 7, 1756, and advanced to the priesthood, Dec. 21, 1756 ; immi- grated to America in 1757 ; was assistant at St. Philip's church, Charleston, S.C., 1757-59; and rector, 1759-80. He gave his sympathies to the patriot cause, entered the Continental army as a private, and on the capture of Charleston in 1780, was banished to Philadelphia. He was rector of St. Paul's parish. Queen Anne county, Md., until

1783, when he returned to Charleston and estab- lished an academy which was chartered in 1785 as the College of Charleston, and rechartered in 1791. He was principal of the college, 1791-97, and in 1794 he graduated the first six bachelors of art, the class of graduates being Nathaniel Bowan, third bishop of South Carolina (q.v.) ; John L. Gervais, valedictorian ; John Callahan ; William Hey ward ; Isaac McPherson and Samuel Thomas. He was elected first bishop of the newly created diocese of South Carolina in 1795. and was consecrated at Christ church, Philadel- phia, Sept. 14, 1795, by Bishops White, Provoost, Madison and Claggett. He was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati. The honorary degree of D.D., was conferred on him by the University of Pennsylvania in 1786. He died in Charleston, S.C, Oct. 28, 1801.

SMITH, Robert, cabinet ofiicer, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., in November, 1757 ; son of John Smith, who emigrated from Strabane, Ire- land, and settled in Baltimore, Md., about 1759, where he engaged as a merchant ; became prom- inent in pre-Revolutionary matters ; was chairman of a committee of merchants, to prohibit the im- portation of foreign goods in 1769 ; was a member of the committee of correspondence in 1774, and of the committee to procure arms and muni- tion from abroad ; was elected a delegate to the state constitutional convention of Aug. 5, 1776 ; and was state senator, 1781-91. Robert Smith was graduated from the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1781, A.M., 1784, and volunteered in the Continen- tal army, serving at the battle of Brandywine^ He practised law in Baltimore ; was presidential elector in 1789 ; state senator in 1793 ; a delegate to the state legislature, 1796-1800, and a member of the city council of Baltimore, 1798-1801. He was secretaiy of the navy, in President Jefferson's cabinet, 180.1-05 ; U.S. attorney-general in 1805, and secretary of state in President Madison's cabinet, 1809-11. He declined the appointment of chancellor of Maryland, and chief judge of Baltimore in 1806, as he did the embassy to Russia tendered him by President Madison in 1811. He was president of the Maryland branch of the American Bible society in 1813 ; of the Maryland Agricultural society in 1818, and pro- vost of the University of Maryland, 1813-15. He is the author of : Address to the People of the United States (1811). He died in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 26. 1843.

SMITH, Robert Bums, governor of Montana, was born in Hickman county. Ky.. Dec. 29, 1854 ; son of Dewitt C. and Eliza (Hughes) Smith ; grandson of Eli and Nancy (Gregory) Smith and of Lewis and Ann Hughes. He attended the academy at Milburn, Ky., until 1876, and in 1877 was admitted to the bar. He was married in