David Allen Smalley Born in Middlebury, Vermont, Smalley read law and practiced in Jericho, Vermont where he was postmaster from 1831 to 1836. Moving first to Lowell, Vermont

Lowell, Vermont

Lowell is the westernmost town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 738 at the 2000 census.-School District:* Budget - $1,199,600* Principal - Scott Boskind...

 he settled in Burlington, Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....

 in 1836. He served in the State Senate in 1843-44.

At the 1852 Democratic National Convention

1852 Democratic National Convention

The 1852 Democratic National Convention was held at Maryland Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. This convention is notable for the hostility between groups of the party, divided over the Compromise of 1850. The convention was called to order by Democratic National Committee chairman Benjamin F....

 he was Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

's Vice President of the Convention as well as member of the platform committee and choice to serve on the Democratic National Committee

Democratic National Committee

The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

. President Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 appointed him Collector of Customs for the District of Vermont in April 1853. Again a delegate at the Democratic Convention held at Cincinnati in 1856, he was reappointed to the National Committee where he served as Chairman (1856–1860). On the death of Samuel Prentiss

Samuel Prentiss

Samuel Prentiss was a United States Senator from Vermont and later a United States federal judge.Born in Stonington, Connecticut, he moved to Northfield, Massachusetts in 1786; he completed preparatory studies and was instructed in the classics by a private tutor...

 in January 1857, President Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 appointed Smalley as a Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Vermont

United States District Court for the District of Vermont

The United States District Court for the District of Vermont is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The Court was created under the Judiciary Act of 1791 under the jurisdiction of the...

 and he was confirmed February 3, 1857. As Chair of the Democratic National Committee it was Smalley's task to open the ill-fated Charleston Convention

1860 Democratic National Convention

The 1860 Democratic National Convention was one of the crucial events in the lead-up to the American Civil War. Following a fragmented official Democratic National Convention that was adjourned in deadlock, two more presidential nominating conventions took place: a resumed official convention,...

on April 23, 1860. He continued to serve as District Judge until his death in Burlington, Vt. on March 10, 1877.