Wilder Smith (July 17, 1835 – September 1, 1891) was an American minister and author. Wilder Smith, son of George W. and Kate (Wilder) Smith, was born on July 17, 1835, in

Boston, Mass Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

. While at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

his family resided in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. After graduation in 1857, he taught in the

Hopkins Grammar School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, and from 1858 to 1861 pursued the regular course of study in the

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

. He was also for nearly two years (1860–63) a tutor at Yale. On January 15, 1862, he was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, a ...

, and resigned his charge on October 30, 1866. He then went to Wisconsin, and on January 17, 1867, was installed over the Hanover Street (Congregational) Church in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. He was dismissed from this pastorate on August 31, 1871, and on October 1, 1872, he was again settled over the Congregational Church in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, where he remained for eleven years. He then established his residence in Hartford, Conn., where he continued, engaged in literary work and private studies, until his death, which occurred there, from heart-failure, after an illness of several months, on September 1, 1891, in his 57th year. He was a man of rare scholarly attainments, and published in 1884 a volume of ''Reminiscences of the Rev. Gustavus F. Davis,

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

'', of Hartford, and also a small volume on ''Extempore Preaching'', which has been adopted as a text-book in several theological schools. He married on June 12, 1862, Charlotte M., elder daughter of Gustavus F. Davis, Jr., of Hartford, who survived him, with two daughters.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Wilder 1835 births 1891 deaths People from Boston Yale University faculty American Congregationalist ministers American religious writers American male non-fiction writers Yale Divinity School alumni Writers from Boston Religious leaders from Hartford, Connecticut Writers from Hartford, Connecticut Yale College alumni 19th-century American clergy