Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/434

 SMITH

SMITH

sumed no pastoral charge. He was professor of Latin language anil literature at Oberlin col- lege, 1866-70; professor of ecclesiastical history in Oberlin Theological seminary, and lecturer on modern history in Oberlin college, 1870-84, and was elected a trustee of Oberlin college in 1891. He was also elected a trustee of Williston semi- nary in 1886, and of Mt. Holyoke college in 1892. He was president of the Oberlin Board of education, 1871-84; lecturer on history at Lake Erie Female college and seminary. Painesville, Ohio, 1879-84; editor of the Bibliotheca Sacra, 1882-84. and subsequently associate editor; cor- responding secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions from 1884. He was a delegate to the World's Missionary conference, London, Eng., 1888; visited the mis- sions of the board in Turkey, 1888, and China, 1898; was a delegate to the Ecumenical confer- ence on foreign missions. 1900, and chairman of its general committee, and of the committee on programme. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Amherst, in 1877, and is the author of: Lectures in Clinrch History, and the History of Doctrine, from the Beginning of the Christian Era till IGJfS (1881), Lectures in Modern History (1881), and of articles in the North American Rcvieic and in the Bibliotheca Sacra.

SMITH, Luther fl., educator, was born in Ogletliorpe county, Ga., Sept. 10, 1826; son of Dr. Iia Ellis and Ella (Penniston) Smith, natives of Virginia. At an early age he removed with his parents to Coweta county, Ga., where he pre- pared for college, and was graduated from Emory college, Ga., 1848. He was married in January, 1849. to Mary Eliza Greenwood, stepdaughter of Bishop James O. Andrew (q.v.). She died in 1859, and in 1866 he was married secondly to Callie B. Lane of Oxford, Ga. He was admitted to the bar and entered into practice, but abandoned the law and was professor at Emory college until 1861. In 1851 he was licensed to preach, and througliout his life was an active minister in the Methodist Episcopal churcli, south. Upon tl)e re- organization of Emory college he was again pro- fessor. 1866-67, and upon the resignation of Presi- dent James R. Thomas (q.v.), was made president of the college, resigning in November, 1871. He was chancellor of the Southern university, Greensl)oro. Ala., from October, 1875, until his deatli, which occurred in Greensboro, May, 1879.

SMITH, Lyman Cornelius, manufacturer, banker and capitalist, was born in Torrington, Conn., March 31, 1850; son of Lewis Stevens and Eliza .\nn (Hurlbut) Smith; grandson of AVilliam and Rebecca (Bissell) Smith, and a descendant of English ancestors. He was educated in the common and state normal schools; removed to New York city in 1872, where he managed a live

stock commission house; engaged in the lumber business in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1875, and in the manufacture of breech-loading fire-arms, 1877- 90. He was married Feb. 13, 1878, to Flora Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. Peter and Eliza- beth (Bates) Burns, of Syracuse. He began the manufacture of typewriters in 1886, and in 1890 organized the Smith Premier Typewriter com- pany, of which he was made president. In 1900 he gave Syracuse university the Lyman Cornelius Smith College of Applied Science, erected at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars, which was equipped second to no college of its kind in the country. In 1903, with his brothers, he organized the L. C. Smith & Bros. Typewriter company. He also became president or treasurer of several other large corporations. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the Fz'encli government.

SMITH, Martin Luther, soldier, was born near Ithaca, N.Y., Sept. 9, 1819; son of Luther Smith, who removed from Maine to Western New Y'ork. He attended the district schools until 1838; was graduated from the U.S. Military academy and brevetted 2d lieuten- ant of topographi- cal engineers, 1842; served as engineer on surveys in Florida, 1843-45; was commis- sioned 2d lieutenant, Nov. 1, 1843, and was engaged on topo- graphical surveys in Georgia and Texas, 1846-47. He was married about July 28, 1846, to Sarah,

daughter of John and v/ y r __;/ Harriet (Cooper) Nis- -^^ ' ^' ^^^^2^^^^%^ bet of Athens, Ga.

He took part in the war with Mexico, in the army under Scott, being engaged in making a reconnoissance and map of the Valley of Mexico; was brevetted first lieutenant May 30, 1848, for gallantry at the capture of the City of Mexico, and upon the evacuation of the city he was de- tailed, at the request of the ^lexican government, to establish a system of drainage for the city. He made surveys for the Savannah River im- provement, and for a ship canal across the Florida peninsula; was promoted 1st lieutenant, March 3, 1853, and captain, July 1, 1856; was in charge of the coast survej' oflfice at Wasliington, D.C., 1857-59, and resigned April 1, 1861, and was appointed major of engineers in the Con- federate army. He planned the defences of New Orleans and commanded a brigade in its defence. When Farragut's fleet passed the