William Loughton SMITH, Congress, SC (1758-1812)
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. Philipâs Churchyard.
Bibliography
Rogers, 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.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
