Oliver H. Smith

Oliver Hampton Smith ( * October 23, 1794 in Trenton, New Jersey, † March 19, 1859 in Indianapolis, Indiana ) was an American politician of the Whig party. He represented the State of Indiana in both chambers of Congress.

Oliver Smith came on Smith's Iceland to the world, a small island in the Delaware River near New Jersey's capital, Trenton. He attended the public schools and then went to the West. In 1818 he settled in Lawrenceburg (Indiana) down, studied law there and was admitted to the bar in 1820, after which he began practicing as a lawyer in Connersville. From 1822 to 1824 he held as a Member of the House of Representatives of Indiana his first political mandate; after he was until 1825 the public prosecutor in the third legal district of the state.

On March 4, 1827 Smith moved to his successful election as an independent candidate in the House of Representatives of the United States, where he represented the third electoral district of Indiana until March 3, 1829. The re-election he did not succeed. He returned on March 4, 1837 back to Congress after he - was elected U.S. Senator - now joined the Whigs. In the Senate, he completed a term of office until March 3, 1843 during this time he served, among others, as Chairman of the Committee on engrossed bills. This time he applied unsuccessfully for re-election.

As a result, Smith worked as a lawyer in Indianapolis. In 1845 he was offered the candidacy as governor of Indiana, but he refused. Instead, he was active until his death in 1859 in the railroad business, including at the Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Cleveland Railroad.