William Andrew Smith

William Andrew Smith (1802–1870) was an American college president and clergyman. The preacher was selected as president of Randolph–Macon College in Ashland, Virginia in 1846. He also taught while at the institution, and held pro-Slavery views.

Life and career

William Andrew Smith was born on November 29, 1802, in Fredericksburg, Virginia,[1] to William & Mary (Porter) Smith.[2] William Andrew's mother died of illness in 1804 and his father was killed by business associates in 1813.[2]

Smith was a preacher for the Methodist Episcopal Church, being admitted on trial in 1825 and becoming a full preacher in 1827. Smith was elected president of Randolph–Macon College in Ashland, Virginia in 1846. He was also a professor of moral and intellectual philosophy at the college.[1]

In 1839, while Smith was serving in Lynchburg, Virginia, he was lent a cradle by Methodist bishop John Early. The cradle unexplainably rocked back and forth of its own accord and was widely believed to be haunted. The cradle is now held by the Lynchburg Museum.[3]

Smith was proslavery and published a series of lectures titled "Lectures on the Philosophy and Practice of Slavery, as Exhibited in the Institution of Domestic Slavery in the United States: with the Duties of Masters to Slaves" in 1856.[1][4] In 1866, Smith resigned from his position as president. He went on to become the pastor of Centenary Church in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1868, Smith was selected to be the fifth president of Central College (now Central Methodist University) in Fayette, Missouri,[1] as it resumed operations after the American Civil War.[5]

Smith died on March 1, 1870, in Richmond, Virginia.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "William A. Smith (William Andrew), 1802-1870". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Spann, J.R. (June 1916). "William Andrew Smith, D.D." The John P. Branch Historical Papers of Randolph-Macon College. IV (4): 347–363. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  3. ^ Pickard, Rebecca (1 October 2021). "The Early Family Rocking Cradle". Lynchburg Museum System. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Lectures on the Philosophy and Practice of Slavery". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Past Presidents". Central Methodist University. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
Academic offices
Preceded by President of Randolph-Macon College
1846–1866 		Succeeded by
Thomas Carter Johnson
Preceded by
W.A. Anderson
 President of Central Methodist University
1868–1870 		Succeeded by
F.X. Forster