Richard Smith (delegate) - Definition and Overview

Richard Smith (1735 - 1803) was a lawyer and politician who served in the Continental Congress.

Smith was born in Burlington, New Jersey on March 22, 1735. He was educated under private teachers and in Quaker schools, and studied law. Smith was admitted to the bar in 1762 and practiced in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later in Burlington. He was commissioned county clerk of Burlington on December 7, 1762.

Smith was chosen as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress from July 23, 1774, to June 12, 1776, when he resigned. He was a member of the New Jersey State council in 1776, and was elected treasurer of New Jersey, serving 1776 until he resigned in February 15, 1777. Smith moved to Laurens, New York in 1790, and then to Philadelphia in 1799. Smith died near Natchez, Mississippi on September 17, 1803, and was interred in Natchez Cemetery.