Charles Sydney Smith (October 4, 1828 – August 12, 1907) was 16th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, in office between 1889 and 1891.
Personal life
Charles Sydney Smith was born October 4, 1828, in Warren, Rhode Island.[1] At age 12 he moved with a relative to Bureau County, Illinois, which was at that time the far West.[1] He spent four years there working on a farm.[1] The nearest school was three miles away, and he attended school only a few weeks each winter.[1]
Smith's first wife was Lavinia Winberg Gorgas, daughter of George Gorgas of Philadelphia.[1] They married on December 12, 1849, and had two children.[1] She died February 26, 1857, aged 23 years.[1] In 1858 Smith married Mary Ann Fish, daughter of John and Nancy Fish of East Greenwich, Rhode Island; they had one daughter.[1]
Smith was an active mason for over forty years.[2] He died in his home at 315 Elmwood Avenue in Providence of pneumonia, early in the morning of August 12, 1907.[2] He had been bedridden for a week, and unconscious for three days.[2]
Jewelry career
By age 18, Smith was in Newark, New Jersey, learning the jewelry trade.[1] He returned to Rhode Island, eventually working for Sackett, Davis, & Co, jewelers on Richmond Street in Providence.[1]
Jewelry manufacture and trade was emerging as one of the major industries in Providence at the time.[3] By some accounts, there were 57 firms and 590 workers in the jewelry trade in pre-Civil War Providence.[3]
Civil War
In September 1861, after the start of the Civil War, Smith joined the 4th Rhode Island Infantry,[2] where he became First lieutenant and quartermaster under General Parke.[1] He took part in Burnside's North Carolina Expedition and participated in the battles of Roanoke, New Bern, and Fort Macon.[1] He returned to Rhode Island in Fall 1862, once again working for Sackett, Davis & Co,[1] where he eventually became superintendent.[2] In 1870 he partnered with Samuel W. Saxton of New York to form Saxton, Smith & Co, which made solid gold chains.[1][2] He was also president of the United Wire and Supply Company.[1][4]
Political life
Smith served in politics for over thirty years.[1] He served on the common council, state assembly, and state senate before running for mayor.[1][4] He was elected mayor in 1890 and served for one term.[1] His efforts to bring law and order to Providence resulted in his defeat for re-election by a "tolerant electorate [which was] inclined to look the other way."[4]
After his mayorship, Smith was elected Commissioner of Sinking Funds.[2]
^ abcdefg"Ex-Mayor C. S. Smith Dead of Pneumonia". Providence, Rhode Island: The Providence Daily Journal. 12 Aug 1907. p. 1.
^ ab"The History of the Jewelry District". Historic Jewelry District. Providence: The Jewelry District Association. Retrieved 27 July 2016. In 1830 there were 27 jewelry firms employing 280 workers in Providence; by 1850, there were 57 firms and 590 workers.
