Smith, Caleb B. (Caleb Blood), 1808-1864

Lawyer, statesman, jurist, and U.S. representative from Indiana.

From the description of Papers of Caleb B. Smith, 1841-1862 (bulk 1849). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71066453

Lawyer, politician, and judge. Smith came to Indiana in 1834. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, as Secretary of the Interior under Lincoln, and U.S. Court Judge for Indiana.

From the description of Papers, 1849-1862. (Indiana Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 27858236

Representative from Indiana.

From the description of Autograph signature clipped from a hotel register : [n.p., n.d.]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270664562

Indiana lawyer, state legislator and U.S. Representative who served as President Lincoln's Secretary of Interior, 1861-1862.

From the description of Letter, [1861]. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 54901201

Caleb Blood Smith, lawyer, congressman, and Secretary of the Interior. Smith was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives, and was reelected in 1834, 1835, and 1836. He represented Indiana in the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Congress serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, and chairing the Committee on Territories. Known for his staunch opposition to the Mexican War, he refused another nomination and left Congress in 1849. He practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was president of Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad. In 1859, he moved to Indianapolis where he became one of the most active Republicans, campaigning for Lincoln during the presidential elections. When President Lincoln formed his cabinet, he appointed Smith Secretary of the Interior. In December 1862, he resigned the position, and was then appointed U.S. Judge for the Indiana District. He died in office in 1864.

His son Walton John Smith served as Chief Clerk of the Department of the Interior, and then Clerk of the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. In 1866, he was with the U.S. Legation in Lima, Peru.

Charles William Spooner was son of William L. Spooner (1818-1889), Cincinnati lawyer, judge, and civic leader who had studied law in Caleb Blood Smith's office. In 1863-1865, Charles William Spooner served as acting Ensign aboard the U.S.S. Reindeer No. 35, which was part of the Mississippi Squadron. After the war, he studied at Cincinnati College and was partner in his father's law firm. In 1870-1873, he traveled in Germany, Scandinavia, France and Switzerland, with the purpose of studying the foreign languages. He then lived in New York.

From the description of Papers of Caleb Blood Smith and Charles William Spooner, 1820-1916 (1861-1875). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 228737955

Biographical Note

• 1808, Apr. 16: Born, Boston, Mass.
• 1814: Moved with family to Cincinnati Ohio, and later studied law at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio,
• circa 1827 - 1828 : Admitted to the bar and entered law office of Oliver H. Smith, Connersville, Ind.; later married Elizabeth Walton
• 1834: Won election to the Indiana house of representatives
• 1842: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives, the first of three terms
• 1850: Returned to law practice in Indiana
• 1851: President, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad Co.
• 1859: As leader of the Indiana delegation to the Republican Convention, Chicago, Ill., fought for nomination of Abraham Lincoln for president
• 1861: Appointed secretary of the interior
• 1862: Resigned cabinet position and returned to Indianapolis, Ind. Appointed judge, U.S. District Court of Indiana
• 1864, Jan. 2: Died, Indianapolis, Ind.

From the guide to the Caleb B. Smith Papers, 1841-1862, (bulk 1849), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)