Smith Thompson

Infobox US Cabinet official
name=Smith Thompson


image_width=250px
order=6th
title=United States Secretary of the Navy
term_start=January 1, 1819
term_end=August 31, 1823
predecessor=Benjamin Crowninshield
successor=Samuel L. Southard
order2=Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
title2=
term_start2=September 1, 1823
term_end2=December 18, 1843
predecessor2=Henry Brockholst Livingston
successor2=Samuel Nelson
birth_date=birth date|1768|1|17|mf=y
birth_place=New York City, U.S.
death_date=death date and age|1843|12|18|1768|1|17|mf=y
death_place=U.S.
party=Democratic-Republican,
National Republican
spouse=
profession=Lawyer, Politician, Judge

Smith Thompson (January 17, 1768 New York City - December 18, 1843) was a United States Secretary of the Navy and a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1823 until his death in 1843.

He attended Princeton (then known as the College of New Jersey), taught for a short period thereafter, then studied law under James Kent and subsequently set up a law practice. [Tomlins, Christopher, ed. (2005). "The United States Supreme Court: The Pursuit of Justice" (Houghton Mifflin), p. 522. ISBN 0618329692.]

He soon joined the Democratic-Republican Party and served in the New York State Assembly briefly prior to being appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, on which he served for sixteen years (including four as its Chief Justice).

He was a founding vice president of the American Bible Society and provided a copy to every officer and enlisted man in the Navy.

He was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President James Monroe, and campaigned for the Democratic-Republican presidential nomination in 1824. When Andrew Jackson won the nomination, Thompson only reluctantly accepted his appointment to the United States Supreme Court. [Smith, Jean Edward (1998). "John Marshall: Definer of a Nation" (Macmillan), p. 470.] He did not give up his political ambitions there, and took the - now considered unusual, but then quite common - step of running for political office from the bench; however, his 1828 bid for Governor of New York was unsuccessful, unlike the example of Chief Justice John Jay who had been elected governor in 1795. Thereafter he mostly exited political life, and on the court was a staunch opponent of Chief Justice John Marshall. [Tomlins (2005), p. 522.]

USS "Smith Thompson" (DD-212) was named for him.

References

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5664 Smith Thompson] at Find A Grave
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s14/smith_thompson.htm Smith Thompson] at the Naval Historical Center