John Augustine Smith (29 August 1782 – 9 February 1865) was a physician and the tenth president of the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, serving from 1814 to 1826.

Early and family life

Smith was born into a prominent Westmoreland County family as the son of Reverend Thomas Smith. He graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1800, then traveled to New York City, where he studied medicine.

Career

Dr. Smith began practicing as a physician in New York City. In 1809 he became lecturer on anatomy at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and editor of the ''Medical and Physiological Journal''. In 1814 he was elected president of the College of William & Mary. Smith succeeded Rev. James Madison and was the first layman to hold the presidency. In 1824, facing low enrollment at the College, Smith proposed that it be moved to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

from

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

; however, the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

refused to authorize the move and the controversy eventually caused Smith to resign. After leaving the

, Smith returned to New York City and joined the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, eventually becoming its president in 1831. While at King's College, Smith became a prominent advocate of

scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.. "Few tragedies ...

, justifying

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

using

phrenology Phrenology () is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.Wihe, J. V. (2002). "Science and Pseudoscience: A Primer in Critical Thinking." In ''Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', pp. 195–203. C ...

and advocating for black people to be removed from the United States. Smith's publications include "Introductory Discourse" (New York, 1837), "Select Discourse on the Functions of the Nervous System" (1840), "The Mutations of the Earth" (1846) and "Moral and Physical Science" (1853).

References

External links

Finding aid for the College of Physicians and Surgeons manuscript collectionFinding aid for the Petitions to Remove the College from Williamsburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Augustine College of William & Mary faculty Presidents of the College of William & Mary 1782 births 1865 deaths