Charles Spencer Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 1916 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1852-03-16)March 16, 1852 Colborne, Canada |
| Died | February 1, 1923(1923-02-01) (aged 70) Detroit, United States |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Methodism |
| Senior posting | |
| Period in office | Reconstruction era |
Charles Spencer Smith (March 16, 1852 – February 1, 1923) was a Canadian-American bishop of theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church and politician, serving in theAlabama Legislature. He wrote numerous pamphlets during his lifetime, as well as a history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, andGlimpses of Africa (1895) chronicling his 1894 trip to Africa.[1]
Born and raised in Canada, Smith moved to the United States at age fourteen and after a series of jobs and two years in the Alabama Legislature, he was ordained a minister, serving as apastor in several southern states before being assigned to the Chicago Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Exposed to the work of the Sunday School Union there, he proposed that a similar organization be established for the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He founded the organization and the first publishing house in the country owned by a person of African descent using steam presses. After his appointment as Bishop, Smith traveled widely and was assigned conferences in Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, and several in the United States. Upon retiring from conference work, he became the historian of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and wrote at least two books.
Charles Spencer Smith was born on March 16, 1852 in Colborne, Canada to Nehemiah Henry Smith and his wife, Catherine. He grew up inBowmanville and attended public schooling there until aged twelve. Apprenticed to learn furniture finishing, he lost his apprenticeship when the factory in which he was employed burned. Smith moved toBuffalo, New York, at the age of fourteen and worked as a general laborer for a boarding house until 1868. Moving to Chicago in that year, he worked as a porter for a barber shop until gaining employment as a deckhand an laborer on the ships working in theGreat Lakes region. In 1869, Smith went south toLouisville, Kentucky, to apply for work with theFreedmen's Bureau as a teacher.[2]
Smith's first post was in a school in Louisville, but due to threats from theKu Klux Klan, he removed to teach inHopkinsville, Kentucky. Afterwards he taught inJackson, Mississippi, where he became a minister licensed by theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), and then taught at Yazoo City, Meridian, and several county schools in Mississippi.[2] His first mission for the African Methodist Episcopal Church was in 1872 in China Grove, Mississippi. The following year, Smith transferred to the Alabama Conference and was assigned a pastorate inUnion Springs, Alabama.[3] He became active in politics and was elected to the 1874Alabama House of Representatives, during theReconstruction period, but lost his seat in 1876.[4]
In April 1876, he married Katie Josephine Black inNashville, Tennessee. The couple had three children, but only Susan Elnora survived.[3] Smith then decided to further his education and attendedCentral Tennessee College andMeharry Medical College obtaining is medical doctorate in 1880.[4] During his schooling, he was reassigned to thePittsburgh, Pennsylvania Conference and filled pastoral vacancies at various churches in Pittsburgh.[3]
Completing his medical degree, Smith asked for a transfer to the Illinois Conference and was appointed toBloomington. While in Illinois, he worked as an agent for the Sunday School Publishing House established in Chicago byDavid C. Cook, which was affiliated with theMethodist Episcopal Church. The work they were doing impressed him and when he proposed to the council of Bishops that a similar union be established for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.[3] In 1882, Smith founded the Sunday School Union of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville and served as its treasurer and the corresponding secretary until 1900.[4] He purchased a property, located at 206 Public Square and set up a publishing house. This was the firststeam-printing business owned and run by anAfrican American in the country.[5] The Union published two journals,The Child's Recorder andOur Sunday School Review, both of which were edited by Smith.[4] His wife died on July 28, 1885, while visiting her sister in Jackson, Michigan[3] and three years later, in December 1888, Smith marriedChristine Shoecraft, a teacher, originally from Indiana.[6]
In 1900, Smith became abishop and was assigned to the Twelfth Episcopal District, which included theOntario andNova ScotiaProvinces of Canada,Bermuda,Windward Islands, andSouth America. Later that year, the Louisiana Conferences were also assigned to him. In 1904, he was reassigned toSouth Africa and two years later toWest Africa. In 1908, Smith was assigned to the Georgia Conference and in 1912, he was assigned to the Texas Conference,[6] before being reassigned to Canada and Bermuda along with Michigan in 1916.[4] Smith traveled extensively, throughout the United States, and in theCaribbean,Europe andAfrica, speaking at numerous conferences.[7] He retired in 1920 from conference work and was appointed as the church historiographer.[4]
Smith died on February 1, 1923, at his home inDetroit, Michigan. His papers, spanning the period from 1875 to 1923 are housed at theBentley Historical Library inAnn Arbor, Michigan.[4]
Media related toCharles Spencer Smith at Wikimedia Commons
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