Charles Emory Smith

Charles Smith
Charles Smith
39th United States Postmaster General
	In office; April 21, 1898 – January 8, 1902
President	William McKinley; Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	James Albert Gary
Succeeded by	Henry Clay Payne
United States Minister to Russia
	In office; May 14, 1890 – April 17, 1892
President	Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	C. Allen Thorndike Rice
Succeeded by	Andrew Dickson White
Personal details
Born	Charles Emory Smith; February 18, 1842; Mansfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	January 19, 1908 (aged 65); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Union College (BA)
Signature

Charles Emory Smith (February 18, 1842 – January 19, 1908) was an American journalist and political leader.

Early life

Charles Emory Smith was born in Mansfield, Connecticut on February 18, 1842.^[1] In 1849 his family removed to Albany, New York, where he attended the public schools and The Albany Academy. He graduated from Union College in 1861, was a recruiting officer on the staff of General John F. Rathbone (1819–1901) in 1861-1862, taught in the Albany Academy in 1862-1865, and was editor of the Albany Express in 1865-1870. He joined the staff of the Albany Journal in 1870, and was editor-in-chief of this paper from 1876 to 1880. In 1879-1880 he was a regent of the University of the State of New York. From 1880 until his death he was editor and part proprietor of the Philadelphia Press.^[2]^[1]

Career

He was active as a Republican in state and national politics; was chairman of the Committee on Resolutions of the New York State Republican Conventions from 1874 to 1880 (excepting 1877), and was president of the convention of 1879; and was a delegate to several Republican National Conventions, drafting much of the Republican platforms of 1876 and 1896.^[2]

In 1890 to 1892 he was United States minister to Russia, and during that period had charge of distributing among the Russian famine sufferers five shiploads of food and other supplies, valued at an estimated $750,000. In November 1892, he gave a speech "addressing the problem of immigration" to the Patria Club. He expressed concern over the changing trends in immigration to the United States, and specifically called for the acceptance of Anglo-Saxon immigrants over Slavic immigrants.^[3]

He was Postmaster General in the cabinet of Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt from April 1898 until January 1902, and did much to develop the rural free delivery system.^[2]^[1]

He died at his home in Philadelphia on January 19, 1908.^[4] He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, River Section, Lot 726.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XI. James T. White & Company. 1909. pp. 17–18. Retrieved January 5, 2021 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b ^c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Smith, Charles Emory". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 259.
^ "IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS; EARNEST ADVOCATES OF RADICAL CHANGES IN THE LAWS. MEMBERS OF THE PATRIA CLUB LISTEN TO CHARLES EMORY SMITH, FREDERIC TAYLOR, AND SENATOR CHANDLER -- DANGERS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM FULLY SET FORTH". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
^ "Noted Man Dies". Pittston Gazette. Philadelphia. January 20, 1908. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved January 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Men of Mark in America Biography & Portrait
Charles Emory Smith at Find a Grave

Political offices
Preceded by James A. Gary	United States Postmaster General Served under: William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt April 21, 1898 – January 8, 1902	Succeeded by Henry C. Payne
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by C. Allen Thorndike Rice	United States Minister to Russia February 14, 1890 – April 17, 1892	Succeeded by Andrew D. White

[Cyclopaedia-1] The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XI. James T. White & Company. 1909. pp. 17–18. Retrieved January 5, 2021 – via Google Books.

[EB1911-2] One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Smith, Charles Emory". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 259.

[3] "IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS; EARNEST ADVOCATES OF RADICAL CHANGES IN THE LAWS. MEMBERS OF THE PATRIA CLUB LISTEN TO CHARLES EMORY SMITH, FREDERIC TAYLOR, AND SENATOR CHANDLER -- DANGERS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM FULLY SET FORTH". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 28, 2024.

[4] "Noted Man Dies". Pittston Gazette. Philadelphia. January 20, 1908. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved January 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

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v t e United States Postmasters General
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v t e Cabinet of President William McKinley (1897–1901)
Secretary of State	John Sherman (1897–1898) William R. Day (1898) John Hay (1898–1901)
Secretary of the Treasury	Lyman J. Gage (1897–1901)
Secretary of War	Russell A. Alger (1897–1899) Elihu Root (1899–1901)
Attorney General	Joseph McKenna (1897–1898) John W. Griggs (1898–1901) Philander C. Knox (1901)
Postmaster General	James Albert Gary (1897–1898) Charles Emory Smith (1898–1901)
Secretary of the Navy	John Davis Long (1897–1901)
Secretary of the Interior	Cornelius Newton Bliss (1897–1899) Ethan A. Hitchcock (1899–1901)
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v t e Cabinet of President Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
Secretary of State	John Hay (1901–1905) Elihu Root (1905–1909) Robert Bacon (1909)
Secretary of the Treasury	Lyman J. Gage (1901–1902) L. M. Shaw (1902–1907) George B. Cortelyou (1907–1909)
Secretary of War	Elihu Root (1901–1904) William Howard Taft (1904–1908) Luke Edward Wright (1908–1909)
Attorney General	Philander C. Knox (1901–1904) William Henry Moody (1904–1906) Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1906–1909)
Postmaster General	Charles Emory Smith (1901–1902) Henry Clay Payne (1902–1904) Robert Wynne (1904–1905) George B. Cortelyou (1905–1907) George von Lengerke Meyer (1907–1909)
Secretary of the Navy	John Davis Long (1901–1902) William Henry Moody (1902–1904) Paul Morton (1904–1905) Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1905–1906) Victor H. Metcalf (1906–1908) Truman H. Newberry (1908–1909)
Secretary of the Interior	Ethan A. Hitchcock (1901–1907) James Rudolph Garfield (1907–1909)
Secretary of Agriculture	James Wilson (1901–1909)
Secretary of Commerce and Labor	George B. Cortelyou (1903–1904) Victor H. Metcalf (1904–1906) Oscar Straus (1906–1909)

v t e United States Ambassadors to Russia
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Russian Federation (1991–present)	Strauss Pickering Collins Vershbow Burns Beyrle McFaul Tefft Huntsman Sullivan Tracy

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