Owen Lun West Smith (May 18, 1851 – January 5, 1926) was an African American minister and diplomat of the United States.
Owen L. W. Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Minister to Liberia | |
| In office 1898–1902 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Heard |
| Succeeded by | John R. A. Crossland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Owen Lun West Smith May 18, 1851 Giddensville, Sampson County, North Carolina |
| Died | January 5, 1926 (aged 74) Wilson, North Carolina |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Nationality | African American |
| Alma mater | Livingstone College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Biography edit
Smith was born into slavery in Giddensville, Sampson County, North Carolina on May 18, 1851.[1] At the start of the Civil War, he would follow the Confederate army while serving as a personal servant. Later on, however, he would enlist in the Union Army and go on to fight in the Battle of Bentonville.[2][3]
After becoming a freedman, Smith worked as a teacher before getting a scholarship to attend the University of South Carolina from 1874 to 1876.[2][3]
In 1880 Smith would convert to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, while attending a camp in Whiteville, North Carolina; later on, by 1881, he would attain a preacher's license and was ordained as a local deacon.[4][5] Following his conversion, he would go on to receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Livingstone College in 1883.[2][3]
After having been appointed on February 11, 1898, Smith would go on to serve as the Minister Resident of the United States to Liberia between May 11, 1898, and May 13, 1902.[6][7]
Smith died on January 5, 1926, in Wilson, North Carolina, where he was later buried.[2][6][8][9]
References edit
- ^ Johnston, Hugh Buckner; Eagles, Brenda Marks (January 1, 1994). "Smith, Owen Lun West". www.ncpedia.org. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Valentine, Patrick M. (2002). The Rise of a Southern Town: Wilson, North Carolina, 1849-1920. Gateway Press.
- ^ a b c "Marker: F-64: OWEN L. W. SMITH". www.ncmarkers.com. 2000. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Reverend Dr. Owen Lun West Smith - North Carolina". www.aahpfdn.org. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Alexander, Adele Logan (February 20, 2012). Parallel Worlds: The Remarkable Gibbs-Hunts and the Enduring (In)significance of Melanin. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-2978-1.
- ^ a b "Owen Lun West Smith - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Blume, Kenneth J. (February 12, 2010). The A to Z of U.S. Diplomacy from the Civil War to World War I. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1-4617-1902-1.
- ^ Mattox, Henry E. (1989). The Twilight of Amateur Diplomacy: The American Foreign Service and Its Senior Officers in the 1890s. Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87338-375-2.
- ^ "Rev Owen Lun West Smith (1851-1926) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
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