John Smilie (1741 – December 30, 1812) was an Irish-American politician from Newtownards, County Down, Ireland. He served in both houses of the state legislature and represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House from 1793 until 1795 and from 1799 to 1812.
Biography
Smilie was born in Ireland and immigrated on May 24, 1762, settling first in Lancaster County. He moved to Fayette in 1780. He was a prominent Jeffersonian and was identified with the "'Quid" branch of the party. In 1806–07, during the debates over the abolition of the slave trade, Smilie was among the most outspoken against the evils of the slave trade. He argued that slaves illegally imported after 1808 should be freed, and that slave smugglers deserved the death penalty. Neither provision was adopted.
Congress
He was elected to the Thirteenth Congress in 1812 but died before it opened.
In 1791, Smilie was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.
Death
He died in Washington, D.C., aged 71, and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery there.
See also
References
- "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
Further reading
- Everett, Edward. "John Smilie, Forgotten Champion of Early Western Pennsylvania." Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine 33 (September–December 1950), 77–89.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn Woods | Member, Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, representing Fayette County November 2, 1786 – November 19, 1789 |
Succeeded byNathaniel Breading |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded byNone | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district 1793-1795 |
Succeeded byNone |
| Preceded byWilliam Findley | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district 1799–1803 |
Succeeded byJohn Baptiste Charles Lucas |
| Preceded byAndrew Gregg | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district 1803–1812 |
Succeeded byIsaac Griffin |
 | This article about a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1741 births
- 1812 deaths
- American people of Scotch-Irish descent
- Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
- Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
- Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania state senators
- Politicians from Fayette County, Pennsylvania
- People of the Whiskey Rebellion
- Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
- 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania United States Representative stubs