Margaret Bayard Smith (20 February 1778 – 7 June 1844) was an American writer and political commentator in the early Republic of the United States, a time when women generally lived within strict gender roles.

Her literary reputation is based primarily on a collection of her letters and notebooks written from 1800 to 1841, and published posthumously in 1906 as The First Forty Years of Washington Society, edited by Gaillard Hunt.

[1] Smith began writing books in the 1820s: a two-volume novel in 1824 called A Winter in Washington, or Memoirs of the Seymour Family,[2] and What is Gentility?

[3][4] She also wrote several biographical profiles, including one of her close friend Dolley Madison for the National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans, published in 1836.

Soon after the birth of their first child in 1801, the family bought a farm, Turkey Thicket, three miles from town (land that is now part of Catholic University).

Together, they were the parents of:[13] Samuel Smith was already a well-known editor and publisher who befriended Thomas Jefferson when they both acted as officers of the American Philosophical Society, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when it served as the temporary capital.

When Jefferson took office as president, his administration awarded Smith a government contract to print the House of Representatives' Journal.

Margaret Smith used this expectation to her advantage by quickly immersing herself in Washington life: befriending local families and politicians, and strengthening her relationships with previous acquaintances.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's history of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet showed how important women were to political life in Washington.

Her commentary during her summer trip firmly established Jefferson's legacy as president, as well as shaping his image as "the Sage of Monticello.