Smith Thompson (January 17, 1768 New York City - December 18, 1843) was a United States Secretary of the Navy and a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1823 until his death in 1843.

He attended Princeton, taught for a short period thereafter, and subsequently earned a law degree and set up a law practice.

He soon joined the Democratic-Republican Party and served in the New York State Assembly briefly prior to being appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, on which he served for sixteen years (including four as its Chief Justice).

He was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President James Monroe, and campaigned for the Democratic-Republican presidential nomination in 1824. When Andrew Jackson won the nomination, Thompson only reluctantly accepted his appointment to the United States Supreme Court. He did not give up his political ambitions there, and took the - now considered unusual, but then quite common - step of running for political office from the bench; however, his 1828 bid for Governor of New York was unsuccessful, unlike the example of Chief Justice John Jay who had been elected governor in 1795. Thereafter he mostly exited political life, and on the court was a staunch opponent of Chief Justice John Marshall.

USS Smith Thompson (DD-212) was named for him.

*Smith Thompson at Find A Grave *Smith Thompson at the Naval Historical Center