THOMPSON, Smith, jurist, born in Stanford, Dutchess County, New York, 17 January, 1768; died in Poughkeepsie, New York, 18 December, 1843. He was graduated at Princeton in 1788, studied law with Chancellor James Kent in Poughkeepsie, teaching part of the time, and was admitted to the bar in 1792. He practised for some time in Troy, but, on the removal of Chancellor Kent from Poughkeepsie to New York, Mr. Thompson returned to the former place. In 1800 he was chosen to the legislature, and in 1801 he was a delegate to the State constitutional convention. In the latter year he was appointed attorney for the middle district of New York, but declined. From 1802 till 1814 he was associate justice of the state supreme court, meanwhile declining the mayoralty of New York city, and in the latter year he became chief jus-rice, which post he held till he was called in 1818 to the portfolio of the navy in President Monroe's cabinet. In 1823 he was raised to the bench of the United States supreme court, to succeed Judge Brockholst Livingston, where he remained till his death. Judge Thompson was interested in many benevolent enterprises, and at the time of his death was the oldest vice-president of the American Bible society. He made a reputation for sound legal learning on the bench of his native state, which he sustained in the United States supreme court. His funeral sermon, which was delivered by Reverend A. M. Mann, in the Reformed Dutch church, Poughkeepsie, was published in pamphlet-form (Poughkeepsie, 1844). The vignette of Judge Thompson is copied from the original painting by Asher B. Durand. Yale and Princeton gave him the degree of LL.D. in 1824 and Harvard in 1835.