Smith graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in 1901. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in c. 1905, served in the Philippines, Haiti, France during World War I, and the Pacific Theater in World War II. He is sometimes called "the father of modern U.S. amphibious warfare." Smith earned various service medals including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Croix de Guerre. He retired from the service in 1946.