MR. SMITH,
Take a Bow!
.4-
More than 1,500,000 Americans bear a star-spangled name
that has played an important part in our nation's history.
Oome people say he was a brave patriot;
others claim he was a knave whose "reputation
rests wholly on his own writings." Whichever
estimate is correct, Capt. John Smith will get a lot
of attention this year as the Jamestown (Va.)
Festival celebrates the 350th anniversary of the
founding of the first permanent English settlement
in the United States.
Smith was a leader of that group which came to
Virginia in 1607. Indeed, without his guidance the
settlers might well have perished. And today
America has more than 1,500,000 namesakes of the
controversial captain in fact. Smith is the coun
try's most popular name!
Jones doesn't even run a close second we have
twice as many Smiths. The top ten names are
Smith, Johnson, Brown, Williams, Miller, Jones,
Davis, Anderson, Wilson, Taylor in that order.
The most popular first name among men is John,
so if you're a John Smith, you're probably used to
the smirks of hotel clerks and bank tellers when
they take a quick look at your signature. But pity
the poor file clerks of America!
After World War II, the Veterans Administra
tion's files held cards for about 13,000 John Smiths
and 8,000 of them didn't even have a middle
initial. Incidentally, the Smiths could almost have
fought their own private war against the Axis na
tions; there were 54,180 of them in the Army and
21,476 in the Navy.
As a matter of fact, the Smiths have distin
guished themselves throughout America's history.
James Smith, a friend of Washington, signed the
Declaration of Independence for Pennsylvania and
sacrificed his personal fortune for the Revolution.
Another Pennsylvanian, Andrew Jackson Smith,
commanded the Union cavalry in the Civil War
battles of Vicksburg, Tupelo, and Nashville. The
raid on Harper's Ferry, which preceded the Civil
War, is believed to have been financed by Gen-it
Smith, a New York abolitionist
President Jefferson's Secretary of the Navy and
Attorney General was Robert Smith. Later, as
Madison's Secretary of State, Smith broke off re
lations with Britain on the eve of the War of 1812.
Secretary of the Interior under President Lincoln
was Caleb Blood Smith.
A Baptist minister, Samuel Francis Smith of
Massachusetts, wrote more than 100 hymns, in
cluding "My Country, Tis of Thee," which was
originally composed for a Boston church meeting.
In 1928, of course, the Democratic presidential
candidate was Alfred E. Smith, "the happy war
rior" who served four terms as governor of the
state of New York.
Remember the battles of Tarawa, Iwo J una, Sai-
pan, and the Marshall Islands during World War
II? They were directed by Marine Lt. Gen. Holland
M. Smith.
And let's not overlook some of our distinguished
Smiths on the distaff side women like Sophia
Smith of Massachusetts, who established Smith
College, and Margaret Chase Smith, the charming
U. S. Senator from Maine.
H. Alexander Smith is Mrs. Smith's fellow Re
publican in the Senate, and also in the Government
service was Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, former
ambassador to Moscow and director of the Central
Intelligence Agency.
Incidentally, if your name happens to be Smith
the Vicar of London's historic St. Sepulchres
Church would like to hear from you. His congre
gation wants to install a stained-glass window in
the church to honor Virginia's Capt John Smith
who is buried beneath the south aisle.
In the days before Smith helped found James
town, he worshiped at St Sepulchre's and received
the sacrament there before sailing for the New
World. In 1631, he died "in a house under the
shadow of the church towers." The vicar, G. H
Salter, hopes every American named Smith will
contribute to his namesake's memory, but your
donation won't be refused even if your nne is
Jones or Whiffenpoof!
11 Family IVi-rUy. Jxl v J. 1957
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