Smith was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress (March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1809). He was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 1810. He was a Councilor, 1810–1815, and was Postmaster at Amherst from May 19, 1819, until his successor was appointed on March 15, 1826. He served as associate justice of the court of common pleas, 1816–1821, and of the court of sessions, 1821-1823. He was chief justice of the court of sessions, 1823-1825.
