Johnson Crayne Smith (October 27, 1844 – August 20, 1919) was an early 20th-century businessman from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and the namesake of

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The unive ...

Early life and education

Smith was a son of James and Margaret (Johnson) Smith, of one of Washington county's early families, the grandfather, Dennis Smith, a soldier of the Revolution, being one of the pioneer settlers. Johnson C. Smith, was born in Amwell township, Washington county, Pa., Oct. 27, 1844. Smith attended

Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The popu ...

. On Oct. 24, 1883, Smith married Jane Morrow Berry, daughter of James H. and Jane (Morrow) Berry.

Career

Smith operated a drug store in

McKeesport, Pennsylvania McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census. I ...

. His establishment was known as the Hiawatha Drug Store. He was chairman of the executive committee of the McKeesport Tin Plate Company, second vice-president of the People's Bank of McKeesport, an organizer and president of the McKeesport Street Railway Company, and an officer and director of the McKeesport Gas Company. He also owned a real estate and co-founded the McKeesport Tin Plate Company. Mr. Smith moved to Pittsburgh in 1910, and joined the Third Presbyterian Church. He served on the board of the Association for the Improvement of the Poor.

Death

Smith died in Pittsburgh in 1919. After his death, his wife, Jane Berry Smith of

gave funds to build a theological dormitory, a science hall, a teachers' cottage, and a memorial gate at the Biddle University, an

historically black university Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. She also donated significant sum to the endowment in memory of her late husband. In appreciation, the Biddle University trustees changed the name of the university to

. The change was made official on March 1, 1923. The university's seminary, the Biddle Memorial Institute, was also renamed the Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary.

References

Bibliography

External links

Johnson Crayne Smith's genealogical family tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Johnson C. 1844 births 1919 deaths African-American businesspeople Johnson C. Smith University Washington & Jefferson College alumni People from Washington County, Pennsylvania 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century African-American people