Smith, Francis H. (Francis Henney), 1812-1890
Person
Major General Francis Henney Smith (b. 1812 d. 1890) was appointed VMI's first Superintendent in 1839. An 1833 graduate of West Point, he had previously served briefly in the U. S. Army and was a Professor of Mathematics at Hampden-Sydney College (VA) when he accepted the position as head of the newly established Virginia Military Institute. He served for fifty years, from the Institute's infancy, through the Civil War, and through the difficult post-war period. He is known as the "builder and rebuilder of VMI." Smith retired on January 1, 1890 and died only a few months later, on March 21, 1890.
Found in 53 Collections and/or Records:
Francis H. Smith European Travel Letter Book, Volume 2, Transcription. [Digital]
Digital Collection
Identifier: http://digitalcollections.vmi.edu/digital/collection/p15821coll14/id/403
Found in:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Francis H. Smith European Travel Letter Books and Related, 1858
Collection
Scope and Contents
Miscellaneous Francis H. Smith and Smith family personal records. Includes 2 volumes of personal letters written while on his trip to Europe in 1858, along with a scrapbook containing engravings of places visited; misc. personal correspondence, including one letter from Scott Shipp thanking Smith for his condolences upon the death of Shipp's wife.
Francis H. Smith Letter, June 1864. Hunter's Raid on VMI. Full Text Transcription [Digital]
Digital Collection
Identifier: http://digitalcollections.vmi.edu/digital/collection/p15821coll14/id/1006
Found in:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Francis H. Smith letter of recommendation for William D. Stuart, 1850 December 3
Item
Scope and Contents
From VMI Superintendent Francis H. Smith, endorsing Stuart's application for a commission in the U.S. Army
Francis H. Smith Official Correspondence. Secession Crisis Letters, 1860-1861. Transcriptions. [Digital]
Digital Collection
Identifier: RG02.01/Smith/Correspondence/Outgoing/Secession
Found in:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Francis H. Smith Outgoing Correspondence, 1864 May, Selected Letters. Full Text Transcriptions. [Digital]
Digital Collection
Identifier: http://digitalcollections.vmi.edu/digital/collection/p15821coll14/id/1013
Found in:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Francis H. Smith Outgoing Correspondence, July 1859-June 1860. Full Text Transcriptions [Digital]
Digital Collection
Identifier: RG02.01/Smith/Correspondence/Outgoing/1859-1860/Transcriptions
Found in:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Francis H. Smith Personal and Biographical Material, 1858-1890; 1890 - ongoing
Series
Scope and Contents
Biographical material and miscellaneous Smith and Smith family personal papers.
Francis H. Smith Personal Papers, 1833-1890
Collection
Scope and Contents
Miscellaneous Francis H. Smith and Smith family personal records. Includes 2 volumes of personal letters written while on his trip to Europe in 1858, along with a scrapbook containing engravings of places visited; misc. personal correspondence, including one letter from Scott Shipp thanking Smith for his condolences upon the death of Shipp's wife.