Benjamin Smith (North Carolina politician)

Benjamin Smith
16th Governor of North Carolina
In office
December 1, 1810  December 11, 1811
Preceded by David Stone
Succeeded by William Hawkins
Eighth Grand Master of Masons of North Carolina
In office
1808–1810
Preceded by John Hall
Succeeded by Robert Williams
Member of the North Carolina House of Commons
In office
1789-1792
1804-1805
Member of the North Carolina Senate
In office
1792-1800
Personal details
Born January 10, 1756
Charles Town, South Carolina
Died January 26, 1826 (aged 70)
Smithville, North Carolina
Political party Democratic-Republican
Spouse(s) Sarah Dry
Religion Episcopalian
Notes:[1]

Benjamin Smith (January 10, 1756 – January 26, 1826) was the 16th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1810 to 1811.

Biography

Smith was born in Charles Town, South Carolina into a socially prominent family, later moving to Brunswick County, North Carolina. During the American Revolutionary War, Smith served an aide-de-camp to General George Washington and rose to the rank of colonel in the Continental Army.

In 1784, Smith was elected to the Continental Congress, although it is unclear whether he actually served. He was active in the North Carolina Constitutional Conventions of 1788 and 1789, and served a number of terms in the North Carolina General Assembly, in 1784 (Senate), 1789-1792 (House of Commons), 1792-1800 (Senate), 1801 (House of Commons) 1804-1805 (House of Commons) and 1806-1810 (Senate). From 1795 to 1799, Smith was the Speaker of the North Carolina Senate.

During his political career, Smith also sat on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and donated 20,000 acres (81 km²) of land for the university's endowment; he chaired the trustees during his term as governor.

In 1810, aligned with the Democratic-Republican Party (he had earlier had Federalist leanings), Smith was elected governor by the North Carolina General Assembly. He served only a single one-year term, and emphasized reform of the state's criminal code and penitentiary system. Although Smith did seek re-election to the governor's seat in 1811, he polled behind William Hawkins on the first ballot and withdrew himself from consideration. He later returned to the North Carolina Senate in 1816.

Smith died in Smithville, North Carolina in 1826 and is buried at the St. Philip's Church near Wilmington. Smithville, now known as Southport, is situated a few miles outside of Wilmington along the Cape Fear River.

Sources

  1. "Officers of the Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of North Carolina, the first 100 years". Raleigh, North Carolina, USA: Grand Lodge of North Carolina. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
Political offices
Preceded by
William Lenoir
Speaker of the North Carolina Senate
17951799
Succeeded by
Joseph Riddick
Preceded by
David Stone
Governor of North Carolina
18101811
Succeeded by
William Hawkins
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