Life and career
William Andrew Smith was born on November 29, 1802, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to William & Mary (Porter) Smith. William Andrew's mother died of illness in 1804 and his father was killed by business associates in 1813. Smith was a preacher for the Methodist Episcopal Church, being admitted on trial in 1825 and becoming a full preacher in 1827. Smith was elected to be president of Randolph–Macon College in Ashland, Virginia in 1846. He was also a professor of moral and intellectual philosophy at the college. Smith was proslavery and published a series of lectures titled "Lectures on the Philosophy and Practice of Slavery, as Exhibited in the Institution of Domestic Slavery in the United States: with the Duties of Masters to Slaves" in 1856. In 1866, Smith resigned from his position as president. He went on to become the pastor of Centenary Church in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1868, Smith was selected to be the fifth president of Central College (now Central Methodist University) inReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Andrew 1802 births 1870 deaths People from Fredericksburg, Virginia American Methodist clergy Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 19th-century American educators Randolph–Macon College faculty Educators from Virginia Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Central Methodist University 19th-century Methodists 19th-century American clergy