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James George Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James George Smith
BornAugust 20, 1819
DiedSeptember 16, 1849(1849-09-16) (aged 30)
Burial placeMiami Cemetery. Corwin, Ohio, US
Alma materMiami University
OccupationFarmer
Known forFounders of Beta Theta Pi

James George Smith (August 20, 1819 – September 16, 1849) was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839.

Early life

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Smith was born in Waynesville, Ohio on August 20, 1819.[1] His parents were Mary (née Whitehill) and Thomas Edward Smith.[2]

He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, graduating with an A.B. degree in 1840.[3][4] While there, he was a member of the Union Literary Society.[1] He was also one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi in 1839 and served as the fraternity's first secretary.[5][6][1] He was roommates with Samuel Taylor Marshall, another Beta Theta Pi founder, in the west wing Old Main.[7][8]

Career

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After college, Smith was a farmer, living six miles east of Lebanon, Ohio.[4][1]

Personal life

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Marshall described Smith as a "pale, studious, quiet fellow in delicate health".[1] In 1941 and 1842, Smith went to Florida to treat his tuberculosis.[3] He recovered and returned to Ohio.[3]

Smith died on September 16, 1849, in Warren, Ohio, from dysentary, resulting from cholera.[3][1] He was buried in the Smith family cemetery and reinterred in the Miami Cemetery at Corwin, Ohio in November 1867.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Floriani, Peter J.; Church, Stanley R. (1989). Morris II, B. Hume (ed.). Faithful Home of the Three Stars: The First 150 Years of Beta Theta Pi. Cincinnati: The Beta Theta Pi Fraternity / The C. J. Krehbiel Co. p. 526 – via issuu.
  2. ^ a b "Miami Cemetery Corwin, Warren County, Ohio". Warren County, Ohio Virtual Cemetery Project. Warren County Genealogical Society (Ohio Genealogical Society)/Warren County OHGenWeb Project. Retrieved 2024-04-06 – via sites.rootsweb.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Typescripts of 1841-1842 letters from James George Smith, 1841-1842 | Special Collections Research Center". William & Mary. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  4. ^ a b Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi, 9th ed. James T. Brown, ed., New York: James T. Brown, 1917. via Hathi Trust.
  5. ^ "The Origins of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity". Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  6. ^ Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 59 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Beta Founders". The Beta Theta Pi Magazine. 2014-06-18. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-04-06 – via issuu.
  8. ^ Floriani, Peter J.; Church, Stanley R. (1989). Morris II, B. Hume (ed.). Faithful Home of the Three Stars: The First 150 Years of Beta Theta Pi. Cincinnati: The Beta Theta Pi Fraternity / The C. J. Krehbiel Co. p. 525 – via issuu.
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