Edward Parmelee Smith facts for kids

Edward Parmelee Smith (1827–1876) was a Congregational minister from Massachusetts. During the American Civil War, he worked as a Field Secretary for the United States Christian Commission.

After the war, he helped start important schools for formerly enslaved people in the Southern United States. These included Fisk University and other historically black colleges. In 1873, he became the Commissioner of Indian Affairs under President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1875, he was chosen to be the president of Howard University. Sadly, he died in Africa in 1876 before he could start this new role.

Early Life and School

Edward Parmelee Smith was born in South Britain, Connecticut, in June 1827. He went to several schools and colleges in New England. He studied at Andover, Dartmouth College, and Yale University. He graduated from Yale's Theological Seminary.

Family Life

Smith married Hannah Cleveland (1828-1898). They had one daughter, Mary Gertrude Smith Crawford (1859-1930). Hannah often helped him with his work. During the American Civil War, she worked in hospitals and on battlefields. Their baby son, Clarke, died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 3, 1964.

His Work

Rev. Smith was a pastor at a Congregational Church in Pepperell, Massachusetts, for several years.

Helping During the Civil War

During the American Civil War, he expanded his religious work to help soldiers. He was part of the United States Christian Commission and led a field division. In 1869, he wrote a book called Incidents of the Christian Commission. It described the commission's work in hospitals and on battlefields.

Building Schools for Freed People

After the war, Smith joined the American Missionary Association (AMA). This group worked to create schools for freed people across the South. Education was very important for these newly freed individuals. Rev. Smith became a General Field Agent, based in New York, but he was in charge of the AMA's work in the southern states.

In 1866, Smith helped found the Fisk School in Nashville, Tennessee. This school later became Fisk University. He worked with John Ogden, who was in charge of education for the Freedmen's Bureau in Tennessee, and Rev. Erastus Milo Cravath from the AMA. Smith and Cravath also helped start schools in Atlanta, Georgia, and other cities in Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs

In 1871, the U.S. government asked Smith to look into the needs of American Indians in Minnesota. He spent time with the Chippewa people and reported his findings to Washington.

In 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Smith as the U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This was a challenging time. Smith had President Grant's support, even when his department faced accusations. An investigation found Smith innocent of any wrongdoing. During his time in office, he showed a fair and open-minded approach to religion. For example, he allowed Catholic priests to hold services for Native Americans near an agency in Idaho. Many Native Americans in that area were Catholic, not Protestant.

Later Years and Death

When the Secretary of the Interior resigned in 1875, Smith also stepped down from his role. He was then chosen to be the president of Howard University. Howard University is another one of the historically black colleges that the AMA and the Freedmen's Bureau helped to establish.

Before he could start his new job, Smith traveled to Africa. He wanted to visit the mission fields of the American Missionary Association. After visiting Gambia and Sierra Leone, he became sick with a fever. He was at Good Hope Station on Sheroro Island, near Accra. Edward Parmelee Smith died there about three weeks later, on July 27, 1876.