Smith, Chas. Robinson (Charles Robinson), 1855-1930

Variant names

Hide Profile

Charles R. Smith (1855-1930): lawyer; admitted to the New York Bar, 1878; corporation lawyer in New York City, 1878-1906; founder in 1899 of General Chemical Company of New York, and vice-president 1920-1922, general counsel, 1921-1922, associate counsel 1923-1930; director of various other corporations.

Charles Robinson Smith, B.A. 1875

Born March 1, 1855 in Buffalo, New York. Died September 7, 1930, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Father, Edwin Smith, a banker; member of firm of Robinson, Smith, & Company, Buffalo; son of James and Sarah (Harmer) Smith, of Wethersfield, Conn. Mother, Jane Ownsend (Mather) Smith; daughter of Elias and Cynthia (Corning) Mather, of Albany, N.Y. Cousins: W. Snowdon Smith, '77S, and his sons, Gurney L. Smith, '14, and N. Jerome Smith, '20.

Buffalo Classical School. Second prize in English composition Sophomore year; dissertation appointment Junior year; first dispute appointment Senior year; member Kappa Sigma Epsilon and Delta Kappa Epsilon. Traveled in Europe 1875-1876; studied law at Columbia 1876-1878 (LL.B. 1878); admitted to practice 1878 and as counselor May 1879; corporation lawyer in New York City 1878-1906 (in partnership with Newell Martin, '75, under name of Smith & Martin from 1890); a founder (in 1899) of General Chemical Company of New York, of which vice-president 1920-1922, general counsel 1921-1922, and associate counsel since 1923; in 1920 helped in merger of that company (which, however, retained its corporate name and existence) with Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation, of which a director since 1922; director of Austen Fox Riggs Foundation, Inc. of Stockbridge (for free treatment of psychoneurotic patients) since 1919; member American and New York State Bar associations, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and New York County Lawyers Association; awarded Legion of Honor April 1, 1927, for services in writing articles during the war.

Married April 29, 1879, in New York City, Jeannie Porter, daughter of William Porter and Elizabeth Wadsworth (Harris) Steele. Children: Elsa (died in childhood); Gertrude Robinson; and Hilda, the wife of Lyman Beecher Stowe, Harvard '04.

Death, due to myocarditis and arteriosclerosis, occurred at his summer home. Buried in Stockbridge. By the terms of his will a bequest of $2,500 was made to Yale University.

From the guide to the Charles Robinson Smith papers, 1890-1930, (Manuscripts and Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Charles Robinson Smith papers, 1890-1930 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Andrew, Abram Piatt, 1843- person
associatedWith Auld, George Percival, 1881-1962 person
associatedWith Bayne, Hugh Aiken, 1870-1954 person
associatedWith Borah, William Edgar, 1865-1940 person
associatedWith Chew, Oswald. person
associatedWith Dana, Arnold Guyot, 1862- person
associatedWith Day, George Parmly, 1876-1959 person
associatedWith Guthrie, William Dameron, 1859-1935 person
associatedWith Harriman, Edward Avery, 1869- person
associatedWith Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964 person
associatedWith Jusserand, J. J. (Jean Jules), 1855-1932 person
associatedWith Knox, Samuel Lippincott Griswold, 1870- person
associatedWith Leffingwell, Elmore, 1876- person
associatedWith Longworth, Nicholas, 1869-1931 person
associatedWith McAdoo, Francis H. person
associatedWith Peabody, Frederick William, 1862- person
associatedWith Pendergast, William Ambross, 1867- person
associatedWith Reed, Louis Schultz, 1902- person
associatedWith Seligman, Edwin Robert Anderson, 1861-1939 person
associatedWith Seymour, Charles, 1885-1963 person
associatedWith Sheffield, James Rockwell, 1864-1938 person
associatedWith Sprague, Henry Ware. person
associatedWith Stimson, Joseph W. person
associatedWith Tumulty, Joseph Patrick, 1879-1954 person
associatedWith Waley, Philip S. person
associatedWith Wickersham, George Woodward, 1858-1936 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Economics
Occupation
Lawyers
Activity

Person

Birth 1855

Death 1930

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w658430w

Ark ID: w658430w

SNAC ID: 50691713