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Oliver Hampton Smith

Oliver H. Smith Letter
S 1210
1827
1 folder
Manuscript Section, Indiana Division
Indiana State Library

Processed by: Christina Baich, November 2005

 

Biographical Note:

Oliver H. Smith was born on October 23, 1794, near Trenton, New Jersey. He lived in Pennsylvania and New York before finally settling in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in 1817. He was admitted to the bar in 1820 and began practicing law in Connersville, Indiana. In 1821, Smith married Mary Bramfield with whom he had three children. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1822 to 1824 and as prosecuting attorney for the third judicial district from 1824 to 1825. Smith was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served from 1827-1829. He served on the House Committee on Indian Affairs. His bid for reelection was unsuccessful, but was eventually elected to the U.S. Senate and served from 1837 to 1843. While in the Senate, he served on the Committee on Public Lands and as chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills. Following his service in Washington, Smith moved to Indianapolis to resume his law practice. In 1845, he declined to be a candidate for governor of Indiana. He was also involved in the railroad industry and wrote the book Early Indiana Trials and Sketches. He died in 1859.

Sources:

Banta, Ray E., comp. Indiana Authors and their Books, 1816-1916. Crawfordsville, IN: Wabash College, 1949.

Shepherd, Rebecca A., Charles W. Calhoun, Elizabeth Shanahan-Shoemaker, and Alan F. January, comp. A Biographical Directory of the Indiana General Assembly, Volume 1, 1816-1899. Indianapolis: The Select Committee on the Centennial History of the Indiana General Assembly, 1980.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Nov. 2005. 

Scope and Content Note:

The collection consists of one handwritten letter from Oliver H. Smith to N. G. Honard, another lawyer, regarding a Mr. Fitch.

Item Listing:

1 Folder.  
   
1827 Dec. 2 Oliver H. Smith to N. G. Honard, Esq., ALS 

Collection Information:

Size of Collection:
1 folder
 
Collection Dates:
1827
 
Provenance:
P. C. Richards, 11 September 1968
 
Access: This collection is open for research.
Restrictions:
None
 
Reproduction Rights:
Permission to reproduce, exhibit, or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Manuscript Section, Indiana State Library.  Possession of a reproduction from an Indiana State Library collection does not constitute permission for use.
 
Language Materials are entirely in English
Alternate Formats:
None
 
Related Holdings: 

Notes:

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