Smith held several local offices, including being a member of the State House of Commons in 1840, 1858, 1865, and 1866.

[1] He served in the Confederate Congress in 1862–1865, and was delegate to the Democratic National Convention at New York City in 1868.

He served as counsel for Governor W. W. Holden in his 1871 impeachment trial, and was chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1878 to 1889.

Smith died in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 14, 1889, and his remains were interred in Historic Oakwood Cemetery.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress