Smith, Samuel L.

Born: 1817-XX-XX Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Died: 1854-07-30

Commonly known by his middle name, Lisle, Smith studied law at Yale but, upon completing his studies, was too young to pass the bar. He briefly resided near Peru, Illinois, in 1836 before going back to his family home in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, to marry. Smith permanently returned to Illinois in 1838 and settled in Chicago. After partnering with Butterfield & Collins, Smith won election as city attorney in 1839 and earned a reputation as an excellent orator. A Whig, Smith campaigned for Henry Clay in 1844 and had become a prominent member of the party by 1854, when he died of cholera.

"Letter of E. B. Washburne to John Dixon," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 6 (April 1913), 228, n23.