SMITH,  Theophilus   Washington,  Judge  and
politician,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Sept.  28,
1784,  served  for  a  time  in  the  United  States  navy,
was  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Aaron  Burr,
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his  native  State  in
1805,  and,  in  1816,  came  west,  finally  locating  at
Edwardsville,  where  he  soon  became  a  prominent
figure  in  early  State  history.     In  1820  he  was  an
unsuccessful  candidate  before  the  Legislature  for
the  office  of  Attorney-General,  being  defeated  by
Samuel  D.   Lockwood,   but  was   elected  to    the
State  Senate  in  1822,  serving  four  years.     In  1823
he  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  "Conventionist"
party,  whose  aim  was  to  adopt  a  new  Constitution
which  would  legalize  slavery  in  Illinois,  during
this  period  being  the  editor  of  the  leading  organ
of  the  pro-slavery  party.     In  1825  he  was  elected
one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of    the   Supreme
Court,  but  resigned,  Dec.  26,  1842.     He  was  im-
peached in  1832  on  charges  alleging  oppressive
conduct,  corruption,  and  other  high  misdemean-
ors in  office,  but  secured  a  negative  acquittal,  a
two-thirds  vote   being  necessary  to  conviction.
The  vote  in  the  Senate  stood  twelve  for  convic-
tion (on  a  part  of  the  charges)  to  ten  for  acquittal,
four  being    excused    from  voting.     During  the
Black  Hawk  War  he  served  as  Quartermaster-
General  on  the  Governor's  staff.     As  a  jurist,  he
was  charged    by  his    political    opponents    with
being  unable  to  divest  himself  of  his  partisan
bias,  and  even  with  privately  advising  counsel,  in
political  causes,  of  defects  in  the  record,  which
they  (the  counsel)  had  not  discovered.     He  was
also  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Commission-
ers of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  appointed  in
L82S.     Died,  in  Chicago.  May  6,  1846.
