Smith, 'William (2), a learned English divine, was burn in Worcester in 1711, and educated at the grannnar-school of that city, and afterwards at New College, Oxford, from which he graduated in 1732. In 1735 he was presented by .lames, earl of Derby, to the rectory of Trinity Church, Chester, and by his son to the deanery of Chester in 17.'>8. He held the master- ship of lirentwotxl School, Essex, for one >ear, 1718; and in \7'>x was nominated one of the ministers of St, (Jeorge's ( 'hurch. Liverpoul, which he resigned in 1707. With his duanery he held the |la^i^h churched of Hand- ley and rrinity, but in 1780 resigned the last for the rectory of West Kirkbv, He died Jan. 12, 1787. He is known in the literary world chiefly by his valuable translation of l.oiii/inns on the Snhlime (1738, 8vo) : — Thunjilidni (17,");^, 2 Vols. 4to; reprinted in 1781, 8vo): — XriiDjihoii'g //Lilory <;/' the Aj/'iiiin of (Ireece (1770, 4to):— .\'j«*' Sermiiiig on the lieiititudis (1782, 8 vo). See Allilxme, I)irl. of liril. and Aiiier. Authors, 8, v, ; Dar- ling, I't/rlop. HiUioi/. s. V,; GtiilUiiuuis Mof/azine, vol, Ixi; ('li,'dttur>. //i'"//, />irt. g. v.
Smith, 'William (3), D,D., an Episcopalian cler- gyman, was born in Aberdeen, .Scotland, in 1727, and was graduated at the college in his native city in 1747, For time years he taught a jtarocliial school, and in 17.VI came to the L'nitcil Slates, He acted as private tutor in the family of (iov, Martin, on Long Island, for two years, when he was invited to take ^charge of Ihe .Seminary in rhila<lelphia, which has since become the rniversily of Pennsylvania, He accepted, went to England for holy orders, ami being ordained in Decem- Iwr, 17i'>,'t. returned, and in ihe^Iay following look charge of the iusiiiulion. lu 175'.» he reluriie<l to England and received bis det;ree of 1 ).|). from the I'niver^ily of Ox- fonl, and alMUit the same lime from Aberdeen College. A fi'w yearH after the same degree was conferred upon him by Trinily (;4)llcgt., Dublin, In I7r,(; the mission in Oxford being vacant, Dr, Smith undertook to supjilv it twice in three weeks, and was placed by his own refpiesf ou thi- li^tt of the society's misNionaries the next year. Dr. Smith held a somewhat indecisive allitude in the conlCHt thni resulted in the nation's iudcpenclemc. The charter of ihe College of I'hiladelphin Ining taken •way in NovemlK-r, 1770, Dr. Smith became rector of Chester I'arish, Md,, and established a classical semi- nary, which ill .June, 1782, was chartered as Washin<r-
ton College, of which he became president. He was I)resident of the convention which organized the Prot- estant Episcopal Church, and in June following was elected bishop of ^Maryland ; but finding strong o|)posi- tion to an episcopate in that state, and others elsewhere opposeil to his consecration, he gave up the matter al- together. In 1783 he took charge also of St. Paul's Parish, Kent C<i., which he held for two years. He was on the committee appointed in 1785 to revise the Praver-book, In 178!), the charter of the College of Pliiladelphia having been restored, he again became its president. He died at Philadelphia, May 14, 1803. "Dr. Smith was a learned scholar, an elo(|ueiit and greatly popular preacher, and distinguished as a teacher of the liberal sciences, and an astronomer," He was the author of many occasional sermons, addresses, let- ters, pamphlets, etc, of which a selection was published, with a preface by bishop White, under the title of The Works of William Smith, D.D. (Phila, 1803, 2 vols, 8vo), For a complete list of these works, see Sprague, Annals oJ' the Amer. Pulpit, v, 161 ; also Allibone, liict. of Brit, and A me?: A uihors, s, v, ; Duyckinck, t'l/clop. of Amer. Lit. i, 388; Rich, Bibl. Amer. Xora, i, 111, 120, 225, 245, 370,
Smith, 'William (4), D,D,, an Episcopal clergy- man, was born in Scotland about 1754, and came, an ordained minister, to the LTnited States in 1785. Short- ly after he was settled in Stepney Parish, Md,, and after remaining there two years became rector of St, Paul's Church, Narraganset, K. I, He left .Jan, 28, 1700, to assume tlie rectorship of Trinity Church, Newport. K. I. He was instrumental in organizing the Church in Rhode Island. He left Newport April 12, 1707, to take charge of St. Paul's Church, Norwalk, Conn., where he remained until 1800, when he removed to New York, where he opened a grammar-school. In 1802 he became jirincipal of the Episcopal Academy at Cheshire, N. Y., which he left in 1801), and returned to New York, wheiu? he died, April G, 1821. He was author of The Reasumihleness of Setting Forth the Praises of God (N. Y. 1814, 12mo): — Essays on the Christian Ministry : — Chants Jor Public Worship: — Office of Institution of Ministers, in the American Prayer-book: — also occasional sermons and articles in periodicals. See Allibone, iJict. of Brit, and A mer. A uthvis, s. v. ; Sprague, A nnuls of the A mer. Pulpit. V. 345.
Smith, "William (5), D.D., a Presbyterian minis- ter, was Ixirn in Harrisburg, Pa., Jidy 17, 1703, He entered .Jefferson College, and after his graduation was appointed to a tutorship in the same. In 1821 he was inducted into the professorship of ancient languages. He held this position with marked ability for a quarter of a century, when, on the division of the chair and the appointment of a professor of the Latin language, he was made vice-jiresident of the college and professor of the (ireek language and literature. Such he continued at the union of the Canonsbnrg and .Jefferson colleges in 1805. Dr. Smith was a profound linguist, and an able teacher of the languages. Preferring retirement after so long a service, he resigned, and was made emeritus jirofessor, the college being unwilling to part with a man of such eminent attainments. He died at Canons- burg, .July 17, ISIH. (W, P, S,)