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Oliver H. Smith

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Oliver Hampton Smith
Oliver Hampton Smith from Who-When-What Book, 1900
Indiana House of Representatives
In office
1822–1824
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829
Preceded byJohn Test
Succeeded byJohn Test
United States Senator
from Indiana
In office
March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843
Preceded byWilliam Hendricks
Succeeded byEdward A. Hannegan
Personal details
Born(1794-10-23)October 23, 1794
Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania
DiedMarch 19, 1859(1859-03-19) (aged 64)
Charlestown, Indiana
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Whig
ProfessionLawyer

Oliver Hampton Smith (October 23, 1794 – March 19, 1859) was a United States representative and Senator from Indiana.

Early life

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Born on Smith's Island, near Trenton, New Jersey, (is also believed to have been born at the Smith Family Farmstead in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania[1]) he attended the common schools and moved west, eventually settling in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 1818. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1820, commencing practice in Connersville. From 1822 to 1824 he was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and was prosecuting attorney for the third judicial district, 1824–1825.

Politics

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Elmhurst, Smith's Connersville home

Smith was elected to the Twentieth Congress (March 4, 1827–March 3, 1829) and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1828; he was then elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1843. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Twenty-sixth Congress) and a member of the Committee on Public Lands (Twenty-seventh Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection and moved to Indianapolis where he resumed the practice of law. He declined to be a candidate for Governor of Indiana in 1845 and engaged in the railroad business in Indianapolis. He died in that city in 1859; interment was in Crown Hill Cemetery.

References

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  1. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Lillee D. Zieran and Susan M. Zacher (September 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Smith Family Farmstead" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-10-01.
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U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 3) from Indiana
1837–1843
Served alongside: John Tipton, Albert S. White 		Succeeded by
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