Philander Smith

Philander Smith
Born November 23, 1809 (1809-11-23)
Worth, New York
Died February 24, 1882 (1882-02-25)
Oak Park, Illinois
Resting place Forest Home Cemetery (Forest Park, Illinois)
Nationality American
Occupation Real estate
Known for Philander Smith College
Net worth $125,000 (at death)
Religion Christian (Methodist)
Spouse(s) Adeline M. Smith (1812–1885)
Children Minnie Gertrude Smith Budlong (1840–1931), Sarah L. Smith Blackstone (1845–1908)

Philander Smith (November 23, 1809 – February 24, 1882) was an American real estate agent and philanthropist. Philander Smith College is his namesake.

Biography

Philander Smith was the son of David Smith, whose 1801 sawmill in upstate New York gave name to the village of Smith’s Mills (now the town of Adams).

Among the early settlers at Oak Park, Illinois, Smith and wife Adeline provided financial assistance to Methodist missions in India, China, and Japan.

His widow Adeline continued to give away his $125,000 fortune to a number of causes for a dozen years after his 1882 death. Her gift that year to the Methodists’ Walden Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas resulted in its immediate renaming as Philander Smith College.

Legacy

References

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