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He was born in [[Ireland]]; his family immigrated to [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]], in 1729.<ref name=Appleton/> Smith attended the [[University of Pennsylvania|Philadelphia Academy]].<ref name=Congress>{{cite web|title=Smith, James, (1713–1806)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000558|website=Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress|access-date=August 26, 2014}}</ref> He studied law at the office of his brother George and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, initially practicing near [[Shippensburg, Pennsylvania|Shippensburg]], and later near [[York, Pennsylvania|York]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Losser|first1=B.J.|title=Biographical Sketches of Signers of the American Declaration of Independence|date=1857|publisher=Derby & Jackson|location=New York|page=120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymU9AAAAYAAJ&q=signers+of+articles+of+confederation|access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref> He became captain of the militia there. He was appointed to the provincial convention in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|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.
He was born in [[Ireland]]; his family immigrated to [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]], in 1729.<ref name=Appleton/> Smith attended the [[University of Pennsylvania|Philadelphia Academy]].<ref name=Congress>{{cite web|title=Smith, James, (1713–1806)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000558|website=Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress|access-date=August 26, 2014}}</ref> He studied law at the office of his brother George and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, initially practicing near [[Shippensburg, Pennsylvania|Shippensburg]], and later near [[York, Pennsylvania|York]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Losser|first1=B.J.|title=Biographical Sketches of Signers of the American Declaration of Independence|date=1857|publisher=Derby & Jackson|location=New York|page=120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymU9AAAAYAAJ&q=signers+of+articles+of+confederation|access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref> He became captain of the militia there. He was appointed to the provincial convention in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|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.
The surname Smith is probably anglicized from the Irish surname McGowan<ref>http://www.ancestry.com/facts/mcgowan-family-history.ashx</ref>
The surname Smith is probably anglicized from the Irish surname McGowan<ref>http://www.ancestry.com/facts/mcgowan-family-history.ashx</ref> Smith is still the 5th most common surname in Southern Ireland<ref>The Top 500 Irish & British Surnames, The Observer, 15 April 2007.</ref>


Smith died on July 11, 1806, and is buried in [[York, Pennsylvania]], First Presbyterian Churchyard.<ref>{{Find a Grave|2772}}</ref> The [[University of Delaware]] has a dorm on its North Campus bearing his name.
Smith died on July 11, 1806, and is buried in [[York, Pennsylvania]], First Presbyterian Churchyard.<ref>{{Find a Grave|2772}}</ref> The [[University of Delaware]] has a dorm on its North Campus bearing his name.

Revision as of 04:43, 14 January 2021

James Smith
BornSeptember 17, 1719
Ulster, Ireland
DiedJuly 26, 1806 (aged 87)
York, Pennsylvania
Resting placeFirst Presbyterian Churchyard,
York
Known forsigner of the United States Declaration of Independence
Signature

James Smith (September 17, 1719[1][2] – July 11, 1806), was an Irish/American lawyer and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania.

He was born in Ireland; his family immigrated to Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1729.[1] Smith attended the Philadelphia Academy.[3] He studied law at the office of his brother George and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, initially practicing near Shippensburg, and later near York.[4] He became captain of the militia there. He 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. The surname Smith is probably anglicized from the Irish surname McGowan[5] Smith is still the 5th most common surname in Southern Ireland[6]

Smith died on July 11, 1806, and is buried in York, Pennsylvania, First Presbyterian Churchyard.[7] The University of Delaware has a dorm on its North Campus bearing his name.

References

  1. ^ a b Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1888). Appleton's Cyclopædia of American Biography: Vol V. Pickering–Sumter. D. Appleton and Company. p. 1559. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Maszczak, Steve. "Smith, James". Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  3. ^ "Smith, James, (1713–1806)". Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  4. ^ Losser, B.J. (1857). Biographical Sketches of Signers of the American Declaration of Independence. New York: Derby & Jackson. p. 120. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  5. ^ http://www.ancestry.com/facts/mcgowan-family-history.ashx
  6. ^ The Top 500 Irish & British Surnames, The Observer, 15 April 2007.
  7. ^ James Smith at Find a Grave
  • Lawyers and Leaders: The Role of Lawyers in the Development of York County, Pennsylvania, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9766629-0-7, York County Bar Association by Georg R. Sheets
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