William Smith (Anglican priest)
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The Rev. Dr. William Smith (1728-1803) was the first president of the University of Pennsylvania.
He was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, to Thomas and Elizabeth (Duncan) Smith. He attended the University of Aberdeen. In 1753, Smith wrote a pamphlet outlining his thoughts about education.The book fell into the hands of Benjamin Franklin; as a result Franklin asked Smith to come to Philadelphia and teach at the newly established academy there.
In 1755 Smith became the first provost (the equivalent of the modern post of college president) of the school. He held the post until 1779. Smith was an Anglican priest and together with William Moore, Smith was briefly jailed in 1758 for his criticism of the military policy in the Quaker run colony. As a result, Smith courted and married William Moore's daughter, Rebecca, and had seven children.
William Smith advocated for the Church of England to appoint a bishop in America, a highly controversial proposal insofar as many Americans feared any ecclesiastical institution which may compel compliance with the force of royal authority. Smith received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from University of Oxford and Aberdeen in 1759 and from University College Dublin in 1763. In 1768 he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
When the American Revolution broke out, Dr. Smith was in a bind. As an Anglican priest, he was viewed as a loyalist, though his sentiments were far more sympathetic towards the patriots than otherwise. Forced to leave Philadelphia, Smith moved to Maryland where he established another school, Washington College.
After the war he returned to Philadelphia where he briefly regained his post at Penn. His final project was the development of land in the western region of the state. Huntingdon, Pennsylvania was founded by Rev. Smith and his sons were the first leaders of its government.
| Academic Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benjamin Franklin as Provost of the Academy of Pennsylvania |
Provost of the College of Pennsylvania 1754–1779 |
Succeeded by John Ewing as Provost of the University of Pennsylvania |
