John Smith (February 12, 1752 – August 12, 1816) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from New York from 1804 to 1813. He previously was the U.S. representative for New York's 1st congressional district from 1800 to 1804. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
Early life
He was born on February 12, 1752, in Mastic Beach, Province of New York, then a part of British America. He was a son of New York State Senator William Smith (1720–1799) and Mary (née Smith) Smith (1735–1758). He was a great-grandson of Chief Justice William "Tangier" Smith (1655–1705). He lived at Manor St. George in Mastic Beach, Suffolk County, New York. In 1762, his father married Ruth Woodhull (1740–1822), a sister of Gen. Nathaniel Woodhull (1722–1776), and from that marriage John had six half-siblings.
He was elected to the 6th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Jonathan N. Havens, and took his seat on February 27, 1800. He was re-elected to the 7th and 8th United States Congresses, and served until February 23, 1804, when he took his seat in the U.S. Senate.
Personal life
On October 16, 1776, Smith was married to Lydia Fanning (1760–1777) of Bellport, Long Island.
Eight years after Lydia's death during childbirth in 1777, he remarried in 1785 to Elizabeth Platt (1765–1787), a daughter of Mary (née Van Wyck) Platt and Judge Zephaniah Platt, a member of the New York Provincial Congress. Among her siblings was U.S. Representative Jonas Platt and New York State Treasurer Charles Z. Platt. Elizabeth died in March 1787, just two years after their marriage.
On October 21, 1792, he married for the third time to Elizabeth (née Woodhull) Nicholl (1762–1839). Elizabeth, the widow of Henry Nicholl (a grandson of William Nicoll), was a daughter of Nathaniel Woodhull and Ruth (née Floyd) Woodhull (sister of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence). Together, they were the parents of four children:
- Egbert Tangier Smith (1796–1879), who married Sarah Schenck, daughter of Gen. William Cortenus Schenck and sister of Gen. Robert C. Schenck, U.S. Minister to Great Britain.
Smith died on August 12, 1816, in Mastic on Long Island. His widow died on September 14, 1839.