Smith, James, 1719-1806

Hide Profile

James Smith (September 17, 1719 – July 11, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was an Irish-American lawyer and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania.

Born in Ireland, his family immigrated to Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1729. Smith attended the Philadelphia Academy and worked as a surveyor before studying law at the office of his brother George. Admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, he initially practiced near Shippensburg before moving near York where he became captain of the militia. Smith was appointed to the provincial convention in Philadelphia in 1775, to the state constitutional convention in 1776, and was elected to the Continental Congress. He was reelected to Congress in 1785 but declined to attend because of his advanced age.

Smith died on July 11, 1806, and is buried in York, Pennsylvania, First Presbyterian Churchyard. The University of Delaware has a dorm on its North Campus bearing his name.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Smith, James, 1719-1806. LS, 1775 Oct. 4, York, Pa., to Benjamin Franklin, Owen Biddle, and the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, Philadelphia. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Smith, James, 1719-1806. ALS, 1786 Oct. 8, Wm. Cooper's Ferry, to Sinnickson Tuft, Savannah, Ga. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Smith, James, ca. 1719-1806. Letter and list to John Whitehill, 1786 May 1. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Dawes Collection of Documents on American History, 1681-1921 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952,. Signers of the Declaration of Independence autograph collection, 1756-1818. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Smith, James, 1720-1805. Autograph letters signed (2) : to Jasper Yeates, 1768 July 17-1771 June 21. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Reed, Joseph, 1741-1785. ALS, 1779 August 11 : Philadelphia, to James Smith, York Town. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
referencedIn Henry A. Willard II Collection, 1743-1888, (bulk 1770-1840) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Smith, James, ca. 1719-1806. Letter to the Pennsylvania delegates, 1776 February 7. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
referencedIn Letters and documents of signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1750-1933. Houghton Library
creatorOf Smith, James, ca. 1719-1806. ALS, 1784 August 10 : York, to Edward Burd, Superior Court, Philadelphia. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Biddle, Owen, 1737-1799. person
associatedWith Burd, Edward, 1751-1833. person
associatedWith Clark, John. person
associatedWith Dawes, Elizabeth F., collector. person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. person
associatedWith Hall, Henry Bryan, fl. 1850-1900. person
associatedWith Hartley, Thomas, 1748-1800. person
associatedWith Hubbard, John, collector. person
associatedWith Pennsylvania. Committee of Safety. corporateBody
associatedWith Reed, Joseph, 1741-1785. person
associatedWith Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952, person
associatedWith Tuft, Sinnickson. person
associatedWith United States. corporateBody
memberOf United States. Continental Congress corporateBody
almaMaterOf University of Pennsylvania. corporateBody
associatedWith Whitehill, John, 1729-1815, person
associatedWith Willard, Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1902- person
associatedWith Yeates, Jasper, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Shippensburg PA US
York PA US
Chester County PA US
Philadelphia PA US
Ireland 00 IE
Subject
Courts
Occupation
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
Lawyers
Militia officers
Surveyors
Activity

Person

Birth 1719-09-17

Death 1806-07-11

Male

Americans,

Britons

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w48nf0

Ark ID: w6w48nf0

SNAC ID: 87347397