Nathaniel Smith was a Representative to the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 from Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. He was born in Woodbury, Connecticut

Woodbury, Connecticut

Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . Woodbury was founded in 1672....

 on January 6, 1762. He was the brother of Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith (senator)

Nathan Smith was a United States Senator from Connecticut, and was the brother of Nathaniel Smith and uncle of Truman Smith. He was born in Woodbury, Connecticut and received a modest education. He read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1792 and commenced the practice of his profession in New...

 and uncle of Truman Smith

Truman Smith

Truman Smith was a politician, lawyer and judge from Connecticut. He was the nephew of Nathaniel Smith and Nathan Smith....

.

Smith attended the common schools. He became engaged in agricultural

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 pursuits and was also a cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 dealer. Later he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1787. He commenced the practice of his profession in his hometown Woodbury.

In 1789 he became a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives

Connecticut House of Representatives

The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...

. He was elected as a Federalist to the Fourth and Fifth Congresses (March 4, 1795 - March 3, 1799).

Smith declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1798, but served in the Connecticut Senate

Connecticut Senate

The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...

 from 1800 to 1805. In 1806 he became judge of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. He kept this position for thirteen years. He also was a delegate to the Hartford Convention

Hartford Convention

The Hartford Convention was an event spanning from December 15, 1814–January 4, 1815 in the United States during the War of 1812 in which New England's opposition to the war reached the point where secession from the United States was discussed...

of 1814-15.

Nathaniel Smith died in Woodbury on March 9, 1822. He is interred in the Episcopal Church Cemetery.