Sophia Smith
Founder of Smith College (1796–1870)
Sophia Smith (August 27, 1796 – June 12, 1870) founded Smith College in 1870 with the substantial estate she inherited from her father, who was a wealthy farmer, and her six siblings, who had all predeceased her.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Sophia Smith (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Aug 27, 1796, died Jun 12, 1870.1
About
An avid reader, Smith attended schools in Hatfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut. She later attended Hopkins Academy in Hadley, Massachusetts.
From Wikipedia’s article on Sophia Smith, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- Smith CollegeFounder10
Early life and education
Deaf since age 40 and unmarried, Smith initially considered endowing her fortune to an institute for the deaf, but changed her mind when the Clarke School for the Deaf opened in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1868. Encouraged by the Reverend John Morton Greene, she decided to endow a women's college instead. Upon her death on June 12, 1870, her fortune of $387,468 was willed to endow Smith College, which was chartered in 1871 and opened its doors in 1875 with 14 students. She also left money for the establishment of Smith Academy, a coeducational high school in her hometown of Hatfield, Massachusetts.
The Last Will and Testament of Miss Sophia Smith
Beginning in the thirteenth section of her will, Smith outlines the provisions for what would soon become Smith College:
From Wikipedia’s article on Sophia Smith (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: founder.4
- Date not recordedFounded Smith College3
Personal life
Awards
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataSophia Smith on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaSophia Smith on Wikipedia
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- 8WikidataSophia Smith: award, on Wikidata
- 9Wikidataaward, as reported
- 10WikidataSmith College, Founder
- 11Wikimedia CommonsSophia Smith photo by Smith College Archives, Public domain