John Speed Smith (July 1, 1792 – June 6, 1854) was an attorney and politician, a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and a state representative for several terms, as well as state senator. He served for four years as a US District Attorney. He was the father of Green Clay Smith, who also served as a state representative and US Congressman.

Early life, education and military service

John Speed Smith was born on July 1, 1792, to Mary (née Speed) and William Smith near

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, Jessamine County, Kentucky. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlemen ...

in Jessamine County. Smith attended a private school in Mercer County. After that, he "read the law" with an established firm. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1812 and commenced practice in

Richmond, Kentucky Richmond is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 34,585 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's seventh-largest city. It is the principal city of the Richmond–Berea micropolitan area, wh ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Smith enlisted as a private. He was subsequently promoted and commissioned as a major. He served as aide-de-camp, with the rank of colonel, to General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

, later president of the United States.

Marriage and family

In 1815 at the age of 23, Smith married Elizabeth Lewis Clay (1798–1887), then 17, the daughter of

Green Clay A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, brick, shale, and other aggregate, with a thin layer of fine clay particles on top. Clay courts are ...

, considered one of the wealthiest men in Kentucky, and Sally (Lewis) Clay."KOAR's Russian Connection"
Kentucky Online Arts Resource Blog, 15 October 2012 Their several children included Sally Ann Lewis Smith (1818–1875), named for her maternal grandmother; Curran Cassius Smith, Green Clay Smith, named for his maternal grandfather; Pauline Green Smith, Junius Brutus Smith (never married), Mary Spencer Smith (never married), and John Speed Smith Jr. Thomas Speed, ''Records and Memorials of the Speed Family''
''Courier-Journal'' Job Printing Company, 1892, pp. 88-89 Curran Cassius Smith became a doctor. He also managed his father's estate after his mother was widowed, making his home with her and his family. Green Clay Smith followed his father and maternal uncles into law and politics, serving at both the state and federal levels.

Political career

John Speed Smith was elected to the state house of representatives in 1819, serving one term. Smith was elected as a Republican to the Seventeenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George Robertson and served from August 6, 1821, to March 3, 1823. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1822. He was elected again as a member of the state house of representatives in 1827, when he was also elected as speaker of the Kentucky House. Smith was appointed by President

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

to go on a mission to South America. He was appointed as United States district attorney for Kentucky by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, serving 1828–1832. He was elected again to the state house in 1839, 1841, and 1845. He was elected as a member of the state senate, serving 1846–1850. Smith died in

, June 6, 1854, and was interred in Richmond Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Speed 1792 births 1854 deaths Kentucky state senators Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Kentucky in the War of 1812 People from Jessamine County, Kentucky United States Army officers Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Green Clay family United States attorneys for the District of Kentucky 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives