b. September 28, 1784, in New York, New York; d. May 6, 1846, in Chicago, Illinois. Theophilus W. Smith read law with Aaron Burr and was admitted to the New York bar in 1805. He practiced law in New York City before moving to Edwardsville, Illinois, in 1816. He served as a state senator from 1822 until 1825, when the legislature elected Smith justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1825. He was impeached in 1832 and secured a “negative acquittal,” because a vote of twelve to ten was insufficient to convict him. In 1841, the legislature expanded the supreme court from four to nine justices, and divided Illinois into nine judicial circuits. Each supreme court justice presided over a circuit, and Smith was responsible for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. Abraham Lincoln appeared before Theophilus Smith in the Illinois Supreme Court in eight legal cases. He resigned from the bench in 1842. Smith was also active in Democratic politics.