Smith Thompson

Born in Amenia, New York, Thompson graduated from Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey) in 1788, taught for a short period thereafter, then studied law under James Kent and subsequently set up a law practice. He practiced in Troy, New York from 1792 to 1793, and in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1793 to 1802. Smith Thompson's father Ezra Thompson (1738–1816) and grandfather Samuel Thompson (1696–1768) were part of a family group that moved from New Haven, Connecticut to Dutchess County, New York by the time of the Revolution. His father's first cousins Israel Thompson and Jesse Thompson were both prominent citizens who served multiple terms in the New York State Assembly. ==Politics and the court==

Smith Thompson was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1800, and attended the New York Constitutional Convention of 1801. from President James Monroe on September 1, 1823. He was to fill a seat vacated by Henry Brockholst Livingston. He would also rule on the same case as a justice of the US Supreme Court in 1841. Justice Smith Thompson remained on the court until his death in Poughkeepsie, New York, on December 18, 1843. ==Legacy==

In May 1816, Smith Thompson was a founding vice president of the American Bible Society and provided a copy to every officer and enlisted man in the Navy while he was Secretary of the Navy. In May 1822, Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry renamed Cayo Hueso (Key West) to Thompson's Island in honour of Smith Thompson. In 1919, the USS Smith Thompson (DD-212) was named in honor of him on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Smith Thompson becoming the Secretary of the Navy. ==Marriages==

Smith Thompson married first, Sarah Livingston (1777–1833) daughter of Gilbert Livingston (1742–1806), a law partner of Thompson, and had four children. Second, he married Elizabeth Davenport Livingston (1805–1886), daughter of Henry Livingston Jr. (1748–1828), and had three more children. Gilbert and Henry were siblings, making his wives, Sarah and Elizabeth, first cousins. Sarah Livingston and her husband's Supreme Court predecessor, Henry Brockholst Livingston, were also cousins via their common Livingston family ancestors, Robert Livingston, the Elder (1654–1728) and Alida (née Schuyler) Van Rensselaer (1656–1727) who lived in eastern New York during the 18th century. One of his sons, Gilbert Livingston Thompson (1796–1874), married Arietta Minthorne Tompkins (1800–1837), daughter of Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins. Their daughter, Arietta Livingston Thompson (1823–1886), was the mother of Guy Vernor Henry and grandmother of Guy Vernor Henry Jr. ==See also==