Robert Smith

Robert Smith (November 3, 1757 – November 26, 1842) was an American politician, diplomat, and admiralty lawyer. He served as the second United States Secretary of the Navy from 1801 to 1809 and the sixth United States Secretary of State from 1809 to 1811. He was the younger brother of Senator Samuel Smith.

Smith was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and later graduated from Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey. As a respected lawyer, Smith became part of Baltimore's political elite, launching his political career under Thomas Jefferson and later James Madison.

Legal practice He graduated from Princeton in 1781 and was admitted to the Maryland Bar. In private practice, Smith specialized in admiralty law.

Political career Smith was well-respected from his legal career. , so Smith briefly served as both Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy.

Eventually, President Jefferson appointed John Breckinridge to replace Smith as Attorney General and Smith resumed his role as a full-time Secretary of the Navy.

Smith left the office of Secretary of the Navy at the end of President Jefferson's administration on March 4, 1809. President James Madison appointed Smith to serve as Secretary of State on March 6, 1809. In this position, Smith negotiated an agreement with British Minister David Erskine in an attempt to reconcile the two nations. However, Erskine failed to follow the instructions of Foreign Secretary George Canning, who demanded that the U.S. avoid trading with France during her war with Britain. Thus, the agreement failed, and Madison eventually forced Smith's resignation on April 1, 1811. In October 1810, Smith lied to General Louis Marie Turreau, claiming the United States would not support rebellion in the territory.

Resignation

Smith was closely allied with his brother, Maryland Senator Samuel Smith, and bitterly opposed Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. In March 1811, Gallatin threatened to resign if Madison didn't dismiss Smith.

Apparently, Smith was bewildered by these and other charges leveled by Madison and published an exoneration of himself, "Robert Smith's Address to the People of the United States," which was an attack on Madison's foreign policy. Madison offered Smith the post of Minister to Russia, which was currently held by John Quincy Adams. Smith considered the offer, but in the end, he refused the post.

Personal life Smith became the president of the not-yet-fully-organized American Bible Society in 1813. In 1818, he became the founding president of the Maryland Agriculture Society and afterwards retired to a more private life where he enjoyed his wealth.

Robert Smith died in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 26, 1842, aged 85.