Carlos Green Smith (December 18, 1813 – October 14, 1892) was an American educator who served as president of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

from 1874 to 1878. Carlos Green Smith was born on December 18, 1813, to parents James and Elizabeth Julia Green, née Green. He was raised near

Lexington, Georgia The city of Lexington is the county seat of Oglethorpe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 239 at the 2000 census. Lexington is home to Shaking Rock Park. History Lexington was founded in 1800. That same year, the seat of Ogleth ...

, and attended the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

. Smith joined the faculty upon graduation and taught mathematics. After two years, Smith left Tennessee to enroll at the

University of Louisville School of Medicine The University of Louisville School of Medicine at the University of Louisville is a medical school located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Opened as the Louisville Medical Institute in 1837, it is one of the oldest medical schools in Nor ...

. Smith ended his medical studies at Louisville to teach at La Grange College in Alabama. At La Grange, Smith taught ancient languages for four years. He then returned to the study of medicine at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, earning his degree in 1847. Smith then taught at the Greene Spring School before moving to the Greene Academy in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

, where he was named headmaster. Smith moved to

Courtland, Alabama Courtland is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The population was 609 at the 2010 census, down from 769 in 2000. Hi ...

in 1959 and established his own school. After the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

ended, Smith returned to the Greene Academy. Smith assumed the presidency at the

in 1874, stepping down in 1878 to lead the predecessor institution to the

University of West Alabama The University of West Alabama (UWA) is a public university in Livingston, Alabama. Founded in 1835, the school began as a church-supported school for young women called Livingston Female Academy. The original Board of Trustees of Livingston Fe ...

, the Livingston Female Academy, as it became the Livingston Normal College. Smith's niece

Julia Tutwiler Julia Strudwick Tutwiler (August 15, 1841 – March 24, 1916) was an advocate for education and prison reform in Alabama. She served as co-principal of the Livingston Female Academy, and then the first (and only) woman president of Livingston N ...

joined the faculty in 1881 and the pair were named co-principals, but Smith later resigned for health reasons. He died on October 14, 1892, in

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...

References

1813 births 1892 deaths People from Lexington, Georgia University of Tennessee alumni University of Tennessee faculty University of Louisville School of Medicine alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Presidents of the University of Alabama University of West Alabama Educators from Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-academic-administrator-1810s-stub