|
SMITH, William Loughton, a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charleston, S.C., in 1758; attended
preparatory schools in England 1770-1774; studied law in the Middle Temple at London, England, in
1774; pursued higher studies in Geneva 1774-1778; returned to Charleston, S.C., in 1783; was
admitted to the bar in 1784 and commenced practice in Charleston; engaged in agricultural pursuits on
his estate near Charleston; member of the privy council in 1784; member of the state house of
representatives 1787-1788; warden of the city of Charleston in 1786; elected as a Pro-Administration
candidate to the First, Second and Third Congresses and reelected as a Federalist to the Fourth and
Fifth Congresses and served from March 4, 1789, until July 10, 1797, when he resigned; chairman,
Committee on Elections (Third Congress), Committee on Ways and Means (Fourth and Fifth
Congresses); appointed United States Minister to Portugal and Spain on July 10, 1797, and served
until September 9, 1801, when he took leave of absence; commissioned Minister to the Ottoman
Porte on February 11, 1799, but did not reach that court; returned to Charleston; unsuccessful
Federalist candidate for election in 1804, 1806, and 1808 to the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh
Congresses; lieutenant in the state militia in 1808; again a member of the state house of representatives
in 1808; president of the Santee Canal Co.; vice president of the Charleston Library Society and of
the St. Cecilia Society; died in Charleston, S.C., December 19, 1812; interment in St. Philips
Churchyard.
BibliographyRogers, George C. Evolution of a Federalist:
William Loughton Smith of Charleston 1758-1812. Columbia: University of South Carolina
Press, 1962; Smith, William Loughton. Journal of William Loughton Smith, 1790-1791. Edited by Albert Matthews. Cambridge: The University Press, 1917.
|