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Lyman Cornelius Smith (1850-1910) was an American innovator and industrialist. He is buried in a mausoleum in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York.
L.C. Smith's first business venture occurred in 1873, when he opened a livestock commission in New York City. The business failed within two years. Undeterred, Smith next attempted to establish a lumber business in Syracuse in 1875. His success in lumber was limited. Again on the verge of financial failure, Smith decided to enter into the lucrative business of producing firearms. Although he and members of his family manufactured guns, they are not the 'Smith' from 
Michael McIntosh, ''Best Guns: Revised and Updated Edition.'' (Camden, ME: Countrysport Press, 1999): 59–74.
Rev. William M. Beauchamp, S.T.D., ''Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of 1908, Vol. 2.'' (New York: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1908): 6–9.
RootsWeb
"Descendants of JOHN SMITH"
HistoryLink
"Seattle's Smith Tower building permit is issued on October 20, 1910."
Early business ventures
L.C. Smith's first business venture occurred in 1873, when he opened a livestock commission in New York City. The business failed within two years. Undeterred, Smith next attempted to establish a lumber business in Syracuse in 1875. His success in lumber was limited. Again on the verge of financial failure, Smith decided to enter into the lucrative business of producing firearms. Although he and members of his family manufactured guns, they are not the 'Smith' from Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...
. Instead, Lyman Smith was the namesake of the famous L.C. Smith Shotgun. In 1877, L.C. and his older brother Leroy joined forces with an established firearms designer, William H. Baker, to form W.H. Baker & Co., and for the next three years, the firm produced Baker designed shotguns. However, in 1880, Leroy Smith and W.H. Baker left the company, and founded Ithaca Gun Company
The Ithaca Gun Company is a manufacturer of shotguns and rifles originally established in Ithaca, New York, in 1880.
History
Over the years, Ithaca made numerous firearms, most notably the Ithaca Flues double-barreled shotgun and the Ithaca 37 ...
. The defection of Leroy Smith and Baker from the company did not hamper business, as they were replaced by Smith's younger brother, Wilbert, and a new designer Alexander T. Brown. The company was renamed the L.C. Smith Shotgun Company of Syracuse and went on to produce several popular breech-loading shotguns. In 1886, the company produced its first hammerless shotgun. This proved to be their most successful design. Despite the success of the company, Smith decided to sell the manufacturing rights for the entire line of L.C. Smith shotguns to Hunter Arms Company in 1889. Hunter Arms would produce the line until 1945, when they sold it to Marlin Firearms Company. Marlin halted production of L.C. Smith shotguns in 1950. They briefly revived the brand in 1967, before retiring it for good in 1972.
The Smith Corona Company
Smith later went on to found the Smith-Premier Typewriter Company, which would later become Smith-Corona Typewriter Company. Smith Corona or the SCM Corporation is a US typewriter and calculator company. The company experienced a decline in sales since the mid-1980s upon the introduction of PC-based word processing. Its competitors include Brother, Olivetti and IBM. He was apresidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
in the 1896 presidential election.
Philanthropy
In 1900, Smith donated nearly $750,000 to erect an engineering building atSyracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
, and the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse was named after him. Smith was a major financial booster of Syracuse rowing.
He also funded the Smith Tower
Smith Tower is a skyscraper in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Completed in 1914, the 38- story, tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was among the tallest skyscrapers outside New York City at t ...
in Seattle, WA
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...
.
Further reading
Michael McIntosh, ''Best Guns: Revised and Updated Edition.'' (Camden, ME: Countrysport Press, 1999): 59–74.
Rev. William M. Beauchamp, S.T.D., ''Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of 1908, Vol. 2.'' (New York: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1908): 6–9.
RootsWeb
"Descendants of JOHN SMITH"
HistoryLink
"Seattle's Smith Tower building permit is issued on October 20, 1910."
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lyman Cornelius 1850 births 1910 deaths Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York People from Torrington, Connecticut Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) 1896 United States presidential electors 19th-century American businesspeople