Smith, James (Reverend)

Born: 1801-05-11 Glasgow, United Kingdom

Died: 1871-07-03 Scotland

James Smith was a newspaper owner and editor, author, pastor, temperance advocate, and consul. Born into a family that was wealthy enough to provide him with an excellent education, he graduated from Glasgow College before emigrating to the United States, where he eventually became a naturalized citizen. Called to ministry, in 1825 he became licensed to preach in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky. He moved to Tennessee for a time, where he owned and edited a newspaper. In 1843, he also published a book entitled The Christian's Defense, which offered a point-by-point defense of the Bible. When his newspaper failed in 1844, he returned to the ministry, first joining a church in Nashville, then receiving a position as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville, Kentucky. In March 1849, Smith moved to Springfield, Illinois and, in April, accepted a position as pastor of the town's First Presbyterian Church. Abraham Lincoln is said to have read part of Smith's The Christian's Defense in October 1849 while visiting Lexington, Kentucky. When he and Mary Lincoln's son, Eddy, died on February 1, 1850, Smith conducted the funeral service. Shortly thereafter, Lincoln finished reading The Christian's Defense, then spoke with Smith about Christianity. Smith claimed that Lincoln's religious doubts were removed and that he became a true believer after their conversation. The Lincolns rented a pew at the First Presbyterian Church soon after, although only Mary formally joined the church. In January 1853, Smith delivered a lecture on temperance which Lincoln and other Springfield citizens attended, and, on the recommendation of Lincoln and others, published the lecture. In 1855, Smith took a six-month leave of absence from the church to work for Peoria University. In October 1856, he resigned his position with the church to work for the university permanently. In 1863, however, Lincoln appointed Smith consul to Scotland. Smith moved from Illinois to Dundee, Scotland, and died while serving in this role.

Joseph Wallace, Past and Present of the City of Springfield and Sangamon County Illinois (Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1904), 497-98; Roger E. Chapin, Ten Ministers: A History of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Illinois, 1828-1953 (n.p., 1953), 22, 24-26; Robert J. Havlik, "Abraham Lincoln and the Reverend Dr. James Smith: Lincoln's Presbyterian Experience in Springfield,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 92 (Autumn 1999), 222-23, 225; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1863 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1864), 2.