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Who Was William Smith?
There's a building on campus named for him. With its distinctive cupola and stained glass windows, William Smith Hall is an historically significant academic facility on campus. But who, exactly, was this Bill Smith?
Washington College owes its very existence to this ambitious, hard-drinking Anglican priest who made his way to Chestertown from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) in 1780. He took up a dual position as rector of the Chestertown parish and headmaster of the Kent County Free School, which under his leadership would become Washington College.
Some say the hot-tempered Scotsman was forced out of the provost's position he held at Philadelphia for 25 years-from 1754 until 1779-before moving to Chestertown. Perhaps. But he also was well connected. As noted in Washington: The College at Chester: "He was either friend or enemy of every man of importance in the colonies between the Carolinas and Massachusetts. Vocally, his critics outnumbered his friends."
His friends, and the statesmen and wealthy Eastern Shore landowners he canvassed, propitiously spoke with their purses, raising in short order the 5,000 pounds needed to establish Maryland's first college. Among the first subscribers was General George Washington, an old friend of Smith's who agreed to permit the College at Chester to be named in his honor.
During Smith's nine-year tenure, he set the highest academic standards for Washington College. After seeing to the construction of a massive college building and then conferring an honorary degree upon George Washington in 1789, Dr. Smith returned to the College of Philadelphia. The grand hall erected during his presidency was destroyed by fire in 1827. The existing building named for him was completed in 1918.
For more information about the people and events that shaped Washington College, order your copy of Washington: The College at Chester. Call the College Bookstore at 800-422-1782, or visit the Bookstore's web site at bookstore.washcoll.edu.
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