Smith, Richard, 1735-1803

Richard Smith (March 22, 1735 – September 17, 1803) was a lawyer, politician, and a Founding Father of the United States who served in the Continental Congress and signed the Continental Association.

Born in Burlington, Province of New Jersey, Smith was educated under private teachers and in Quaker schools, and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1762 and practiced in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later in Burlington. He was commissioned county clerk of Burlington on December 7, 1762. Smith was chosen as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress from July 23, 1774, to June 12, 1776, when he resigned. He was a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council (now the New Jersey Senate) in 1776, and was elected treasurer of New Jersey, serving 1776 until he resigned on February 15, 1777, resuming the practice of law. Smith moved to Laurens, New York, in 1790, and then to Philadelphia in 1799. While touring the southern United States, Smith died in Natchez, Mississippi, and was interred in Natchez City Cemetery there.