Robert G. Smith (1854–1923) was an Irish-born American Brevet Brigadier General of 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 was known as the Colonel of the 4th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment and a notable figure during the early 20th–Century of Jersey City.

Military career

Smith was born in October 1854 and shortly after, immigrated for New Jersey. He enlisted in the

New Jersey National Guard The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of more than 6,000 Citizen-Soldiers. The New Jersey Army National Guard is currently engaged in multiple worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantan ...

on 1877 and was promoted to colonel in 1897. Upon the outbreak of the

, Smith enrolled to become the Colonel of the 4th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Adjutant General William Scudder Stryker on June 30, 1898. The regiment was mustered at

Sea Girt Sea Girt is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,866, an increase ...

on July 18, 1898, by Captain W. C. Buttler but the regiment saw no active service during the war and Smith was mustered out on November 3, 1898, at Camp George Meade. After the war, Smith would continue to serve in the New Jersey National Guard as a colonel until his retirement on May 17, 1906, with the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. During the nomination of his Brigadier General status by the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

, Smith moved to Washington, D.C., to secure his position.

Later careers and memberships

Smith would continue to gain prominence in Jersey City by becoming the president of the Board of Commissioners and Water Commissioners and served as a member of the Excise Board of Washington, D.C., on 1914. He served as a member of the

Naval and Military Order of the Spanish War The Naval and Military Order of the Spanish War was a short lived military society formed by American officers who had served during the Spanish–American War. History The Naval and Military Order of the Spanish-American War (NMOSAW) was founded ...

and the Spanish–American War Veterans. Smith was also a

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

as he served at the Lodge of Temple No. 110 at

Sayville, New York Sayville is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Located on the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Islip, the population of the CDP was 16,569 at the time of the 2020 census. History The earli ...

and the Masonic Veterans Association at Washington, D.C. While serving as the marine superintendent of the Cunard S.S. Lines, he died at Sayville on December 5, 1923, and was buried at the Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery.

Awards

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert G. 1854 births 1923 deaths Military personnel from Jersey City, New Jersey United States Army officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Irish emigrants to the United States New Jersey National Guard personnel Burials at Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery American Freemasons