Gerrit Smith
U.S. Congressperson
1797 – 1874
Who was Gerrit Smith?
Gerrit Smith was a leading United States social reformer, abolitionist, politician, and philanthropist. Spouse to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candidate for President of the United States in 1848, 1856, and 1860, but only served 18 months in the federal government—in Congress as a Free Soil Party Representative, in 1853–4.
Smith, a significant financial contributor to the Liberty Party and the Republican Party throughout his life, spent much time and money working towards social progress in the nineteenth century United States. Besides making substantial donations of both land and money to the African-American community in North Elba, New York, he was involved in the Temperance Movement and, later in life, the colonization movement. A staunch abolitionist, he was a member of the Secret Six who financially supported John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
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- Born
- Mar 6, 1797
Utica - Also known as
- Смит, Джеррит
- Parents
- Spouses
- Ann Carroll Fitzhugh
(1822 - )
- Ann Carroll Fitzhugh
- Children
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Hamilton College
- Lived in
- Utica
- Died
- Dec 28, 1874
New York City
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Gerrit Smith." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/gerrit_smith>.
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