Ernest O. Smith (1885–1945) was an educator, library trustee, and union organizer in Houston, Texas.
Early life
Ernest O. Smith was born July 4, 1885, to William Dudley and Isabella (Glosscock) Smith in
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...
. His father was a carpenter who worked on construction crews building facilities at
Fisk University
Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee.
Career
Smith graduated from Fisk University and accepted a job as a principle in
Goliad, Texas
Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...
. In 1905, he moved to Houston where he filled a series of principal positions at area elementary and secondary schools over several years.
[
Smith also worked summers at the docks. He joined the International Longshoremen’s Association, Local 872 after it was formed in 1913. The local tapped him to serve as its secretary, and he composed its first charter.][
Smith and other African-American educators in Houston applied for and received an Andrew Carnegie grant to establish a library in Houston, which opened in 1913. Several years previous, the Houston Carnegie Library and Lyceum barred Smith and several of his African-American colleagues from entering the facility. They responded by founding the Colored Carnegie Library to serve African-Americans, run by its own trustees and management. Though the city agreed to fund the library’s operating expenses, the funding level was much lower than that for the library established for whites. Despite the efforts of Smith and other education advocates, the city committed $4,000 per year to the first Carnegie Library compared to $500 for the Colored Carnegie Library.][Malone (1999), pp. 96, 99.]
Death and legacy
Smith died on October 13, 1945, in Houston. He is interred at Houston’s Golden Gate Cemetery. Houston’s E. O. Smith Education Center
This is a list of schools operated by the Houston Independent School District.
In the district, grades kindergarten through 5 are considered to be elementary school, grades 6 through 8 are considered to be middle school, and grades 9 through 1 ...
is named for him.[
]
References
External links
Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ, Houston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ernest Ollington
1885 births
1945 deaths
Educators from Houston
Activists from Houston
Schoolteachers from Texas