Jonathan Bayard Smith (February 21, 1742 – June 16, 1812) was an American politician and merchant from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

who was one of the

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. Smith served as a delegate for

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to the Continental Congress in 1777 and 1778, where he signed the Articles of Confederation.

Early life

Smith was born on February 21, 1742, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mary Harrison and Samuel Smith. His father was a successful mercantile businessman in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who had moved to Philadelphia. Smith graduated from

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

in 1760 and joined his father in business. He was elected to the revived

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in 1768. His first marriage was to Susannah Bayard of Maryland. Together, they had one son, Samuel Harrison Smith, who founded the ''National Intelligencer'' newspaper.

Revolutionary War

Smith became a member of the local committee of safety and in 1775 was made its secretary. He was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777, serving from April 4 of that year until November 1778. While in Congress, Smith endorsed the Articles of Confederation for Pennsylvania. He resigned from the Continental Congress to assist in the defense of Philadelphia in 1778. Having advocated taking up arms (a sometimes unpopular stance in largely Quaker Pennsylvania) he also joined the militia, becoming a lieutenant colonel of John Bayard's regiment and serving in the

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campaign.

Later work

After his congressional career, Smith returned his attention to business, but remained active in civic affairs. In 1778 he became a member of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. He became a great promoter of education and in 1779 was one of the founders and a trustee of the "University of the State of Pennsylvania". In 1795, when it merged with two other schools to become the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, Smith became a trustee of the new school, serving until his death. He also served as a trustee for his alma mater, Princeton, for thirty years. Smith served in other fraternal and civic organizations. He became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

in Philadelphia, a grand master of the Masons, and a member of the

. Smith died at his residence in Philadelphia in 1812 and was buried in the Second Presbyterian Church Graveyard. In 1867, his remains were reinterred to Mount Vernon Cemetery.

References

University of Pennsylvania archives

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jonathan B. 1742 births 1812 deaths 18th-century American politicians Bayard family Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia Colonial American merchants Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Members of the American Philosophical Society Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution People of colonial Pennsylvania Princeton University alumni Signers of the Articles of Confederation University of Pennsylvania people Founding Fathers of the United States