Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith
Encyclopedia
Francis Ormond Jonathan Smith (Brentwood
, New Hampshire
, November 23, 1806; Deering, Maine, October 14, 1876) was elected from the state of Maine
to the United States House of Representatives
to serve three terms from 1833 to 1839, serving at one point on the US House of Representatives Committee on Commerce.
Smith was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy
in Exeter, New Hampshire
, and eventually was admitted to the bar
to practice law in Portland, Maine
. He served in the Maine House of Representatives
in 1831, was a member of the Maine Senate
in 1833, and served as its president. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third
and Twenty-fourth Congresses
and as a Democrat
to the Twenty-fifth Congress
(March 4, 1833-March 3, 1839). He chaired the Committee on Commerce (Twenty-fifth Congress), and was subsequently an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress
. Smith assisted Samuel F. B. Morse
in perfecting and introducing the electric telegraph, and was a financial backer of the first telegraph lines set up in the United States.
He is interned in Evergreen Cemetery
in Portland. His is buried in the F.O.J. Smith Tomb
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Brentwood, New Hampshire
Brentwood is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 4,486. Brentwood has been the county seat of Rockingham County since 1997...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, November 23, 1806; Deering, Maine, October 14, 1876) was elected from the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to serve three terms from 1833 to 1839, serving at one point on the US House of Representatives Committee on Commerce.
Smith was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, and eventually was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
to practice law in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. He served in the Maine House of Representatives
Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...
in 1831, was a member of the Maine Senate
Maine Senate
The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution allows for "an odd number of Senators, not less than...
in 1833, and served as its president. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third
23rd United States Congress
-House of Representatives:For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 213 seats to 240 seats, following the 1830 United States Census .- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren...
and Twenty-fourth Congresses
24th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress one House seat was added for each of the new states of Arkansas and Michigan.-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :...
and as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Twenty-fifth Congress
25th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Richard Mentor Johnson * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :* Speaker: James K. Polk -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
(March 4, 1833-March 3, 1839). He chaired the Committee on Commerce (Twenty-fifth Congress), and was subsequently an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress
26th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :*President: Richard M. Johnson *President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :*Speaker: Robert M.T. Hunter -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
. Smith assisted Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...
in perfecting and introducing the electric telegraph, and was a financial backer of the first telegraph lines set up in the United States.
He is interned in Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine)
Evergreen Cemetery is a garden style cemetery in Portland, Maine, United States. With of land, it is the second largest cemetery in the state. It was established in 1855 and became the city's main cemetery after the Western Cemetery. As of March 2011, only of the were used for cemetery-related...
in Portland. His is buried in the F.O.J. Smith Tomb
F.O.J. Smith Tomb
F.O.J. Smith Tomb is an historic tomb in Evergreen Cemetery in Portland, Maine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is the tomb of Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith, US Congressman 1833-1839....
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.