Robert Alexander Conrad Smith (February 22, 1857 – July 27, 1933) was the Commissioner of Docks and Ferries in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and a member of the Port and Terminal Committee of the

New York City Board of Estimate The New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City responsible for numerous areas of municipal policy and decisions, including the city budget, land-use, contracts, franchises, and water rates. Under the amendments eff ...

. He was also an entrepreneur in Cuba, where he developed and operated railroads and utilities.

Biography

Robert Alexander Conrad Smith was born in

Dover, England Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

on February 22, 1857 and then his family moved to Spain, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, until 1869. He returned to England for his education. Three years after his return to England, he made trip to the United States. He began work on construction of railroads in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, prior to the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He also operated the gas and electric lighting system of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

for Havana. After moving to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

he became Commissioner of Docks and Ferries in

succeeding

Calvin Tomkins Calvin Tomkins (born December 17, 1925) is an American author and art critic for ''The New Yorker'' magazine. Life and career Tomkins was born in Orange, New Jersey, on December 17, 1925. After graduating from Berkshire School, he attended Prince ...

. In 1903, Smith purchased the steamer ''Anstice'' and converted her into a yacht at the

Harlan and Hollingsworth Harlan & Hollingsworth was a Wilmington, Delaware, manufacturing firm that built railroad cars and became one of the first iron shipyards in the United States. It operated under various names from 1837 to 1904, when it was purchased by Bethlehem ...

Company in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

. On April 24, 1907, Smith's ''Anstice'' name was changed to ''Privateer.'' Smith and his friends sailed on the ''Privateer'' for the

Jamestown Exposition The Jamestown Exposition, also known as the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition of 1907, was one of the many world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century. Commemorating the 300th anni ...

, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...

. The yacht was renamed the in 1914. In 1915 he asked the city to cut his salary by $2,500, with the saved money to go to his assistants in his department. He reduced the departmental budget by $184,000 and wanted to trim the head count. Smith died in

Southampton, England Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

on July 27, 1933, after

cerebrovascular accident Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop ...

while on an ocean voyage.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, R. A. C. 1857 births 1933 deaths Commissioners of docks and ferries of the City of New York