Judith Smith Ladson (May 1766 – September 4, 1820) was an American heiress and socialite who served as the Second Lady of South Carolina.

A member of the colonial planter class, she was the daughter of the slave trader Benjamin Smith and the wife of the politician James Ladson, who served as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.

Her father was a prominent planter, slave trader, and merchant who served as Speaker of the South Carolina Royal Assembly.

Ladson was a great-great granddaughter of Thomas Smith and Joseph Blake, who both served as Colonial Governors of the Province of South Carolina.

[8][9] A prominent society figure, Ladson was painted by portraitists John Wollaston and Samuel Morse, the later whose portrait is on display at the Gibbes Museum of Art.