Smith, Caleb Blood

Born April 16, 1808, in Boston, MA
Died January 7, 1864, in Indianapolis, IN

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana
Nominated by Abraham Lincoln on December 16, 1862, to a seat vacated by Elisha Huntington. Confirmed by the Senate on December 22, 1862, and received commission on December 22, 1862. Service terminated on January 7, 1864, due to death.

Education:
Miami University, Ohio
Cincinnati College (now University of Cincinnati)
Read law, 1828

Professional Career:

Private practice, Connersville, Indiana, 1828-1843
Editor, Indiana Sentinel, 1832
State representative, Indiana, 1832-1837, 1840-1841
Commissioner to collect assets and adjust debts, Indiana, 1837
U.S. representative from Indiana, 1843-1849
Member, board of commissioners to adjust claims against Mexico, 1849-1851
Private practice, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1851-1859
Secretary of the Interior, 1861-1863

Bibliography

Bochin, Hal W. "Caleb B. Smith's Opposition to the Mexican War." Indiana Magazine of History 69 (1973): 95-114.

Thomas, Richard John. "Caleb Blood Smith: Whig Orator and Politician-Lincoln's Secretary of Interior." Ph.D., diss., Indiana University, 1969.

Thomas, Richard John. "Lisping Cale Smith: Whig Orator on the Stump." Cincinnati Historical Society Bulletin 30 (1972): 21-49.

Manuscript Collections

Huntington Library
San Marino, Calif.
Papers of Caleb Blood Smith and Charles William Spooner, 1820-1916.
899 pieces (10 boxes, also, one scrapbook); Personal, political, and business correspondence of Caleb BloodSmith, chiefly letters addressed to him. The bulk of the correspondence covers his tenure as the Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Judge, with material relating to other aspects of Smith's legal and political career. The letters discuss the state of the Republican Party in Indiana, slavery and abolitionism, national politics, Indian affairs, war news, and request political patronage. Correspondents include Cassius Marcellus Clay, William Sprague, Frederick William Seward, Richard Wigginton Thompson, and others. There is also a draft of Smith's speech on the role of oratory in the government (1862). Also included are items related to Smith's death, including a copy of President Lincoln's "Order of Condolence" and letters of condolence, real estate and railroad lands, and Masonic papers and certificates.

Indiana Historical Society
Indianapolis, Ind.
Caleb Blood Smith papers, 1849-1862.
1 folder; finding aid; correspondence.

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Caleb Blood Smith papers, 1841-1862.
1,200 items; finding aid; Smith's correspondence during his last term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Federal Judicial Center

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Smith, Caleb Blood