Robert Smith Todd

Robert Smith Todd was born on February 25, 1791, in Lexington, Kentucky. He was the third of six sons born to General Levi Todd (1756–1807) and Jane (née Briggs) Todd (1761–1800). His family was prominent in Kentucky prior to its statehood, with his father and uncles, John and Robert Todd, contributing to the founding of Lexington and becoming landowners and statesmen in the early history of Kentucky. His maternal grandmother was Jane Briggs, and his paternal lineage included Revolutionary War veteran General Levi Todd, who served under Brigadier General George Rogers Clark.

Following his mother's death in 1800, Levi Todd remarried Jane Holmes, resulting in additional children, including Jane Todd, who married Congressman Daniel Breck. Robert Todd had a brother, Dr. John Todd, and was the uncle of Union General John Blair Smith Todd through his brother.

At the age of fourteen, Robert Todd began studies at Transylvania College in Lexington and graduated four years later at the age of eighteen. He studied law initially through apprenticing with Thomas Bodley, Fayette County clerk, and later with George Bibb, the chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. He was admitted to the bar on September 28, 1811, but did not practice law professionally, choosing instead to pursue business interests.

Todd participated in military service during the War of 1812, especially in militia efforts. Prior to the war, he was involved with a militia company that merged into the Lexington light artillery of the 5th Kentucky Regiment. He enlisted as a private alongside his brothers and cousins but contracted pneumonia before deploying to Ohio. After recovery, he fought in the Battle of Frenchtown in Michigan in January 1813 and the Battle of the Thames in the fall of 1813, where Tecumseh was killed. He was later promoted to the rank of captain.

Following the war, Todd engaged in commerce by running a dry goods store with partner Bird Smith, importing French brandies, Dutch gin, and green coffee, which he sold in Lexington. He also became a partner in a Fayette County cotton factory and served as president of the Lexington branch of the Bank of Kentucky by 1835. His involvement in public service included serving as a trustee of Transylvania University, alongside Henry Clay and Charles A. Wickliffe, and working as a justice of the peace and sheriff. He served over twenty years as the clerk of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and was elected as a Whig to the Kentucky state assembly for three terms and to the Kentucky Senate for a single term in 1848.

His personal life included two marriages. On November 13, 1812, he married his second cousin, Elizabeth "Eliza" Parker (1794–1825). She was the daughter of Robert Porter Parker, a prominent landowner and merchant. They had seven children, with six surviving to maturity. Notable children included Mary Ann Todd, who married Abraham Lincoln; Elizabeth Todd, who married Ninian Edwards Jr.; and others involved in medicine, military service, and business. Elizabeth Parker Todd died in 1825, due to complications during childbirth.

Six months after Eliza's death, Robert Todd married Elizabeth "Betsy" Humphreys (née Brown) on November 1, 1826. They had nine children, eight reaching maturity. Their offspring included Robert Humphrey Todd, Emilie Pariet Todd, and Alexander Humphreys Todd, some of whom served in the Confederate military. The family resided in Lexington at a residence known as "The Sign of the Green Tree," built around 1803–1806, which is now preserved as the Mary Todd Lincoln House.

Robert Smith Todd died suddenly from cholera on July 17, 1849, at the age of 58, in Lexington, Kentucky.