James George Smith
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James George Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1819 |
| Died | September 16, 1849 (aged 30) Warren, Ohio, US |
| Burial place | Miami Cemetery. Corwin, Ohio, US |
| Alma mater | Miami University |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Known for | Founders 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.
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
After college, Smith was a farmer, living six miles east of Lebanon, Ohio.[4][1]
Personal life
Marshall described Smith as a "pale, studious, quiet fellow in delicate health".[1] In 1841 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]
