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Lydia Hamilton Smith (c. 1814 – February 14, 1884) was the long-time housekeeper of Thaddeus Stevens and a prominent businesswoman after his death.
Thaddeus Stevens (April 4, 1792 – August 11, 1868) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, being one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s.
Lydia Hamilton Smith (1813–1884) was a prominent African American businesswoman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the longtime housekeeper, life companion, and collaborator of the state’s abolitionist congressman Thaddeus Stevens.
And before long, [Thaddeus Stevens] obtained the services of a housekeeper, Lydia Hamilton Smith, a mulatto widow of great respectability with two children, who remained with him and took care of him for the rest of his life.
Apr 2, 2014 · Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction.
Mar 30, 2023 · As a woman with Black ancestry in the mid-18th century United States, Smith overcame daunting odds throughout her life, Kelley said. And her close connection with abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens influenced the course of history. “She knew who she was, and she never apologized for it,” he said.
Lydia Hamilton Smith is often referred to as Thaddeus Stevens’ housekeeper—and, perhaps, his common-law wife.
