Ann Eliza Smith
A Vermont dynamo who organized women, managed world's fair exhibits, and earned an honorary military rank for her Civil War leadership.
1819–1905 (age 86)·American author·Birthday: October 7
Biography
Ann Eliza Smith was a 19th-century force of nature who operated in the spaces where women's civic duty met tangible action. The wife of Vermont Governor and U.S. Senator J. Gregory Smith, she leveraged her position not for mere social climbing, but for formidable organization. Her moment of greatest renown came during the St. Albans Raid, the northernmost land action of the Civil War, where she swiftly coordinated local relief efforts for the stricken town. This was no symbolic role; her effectiveness was so recognized that the Governor later made her an honorary Lieutenant Colonel on his military staff—a rare, if ceremonial, breach of gender barriers. Smith's talents for leadership and curation were again tapped for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, where she presided over the Vermont women's exhibit, showcasing the state's industry and craft on a national stage. Her life tells a story of pragmatic feminism in the Gilded Age, getting things done through networks, nerve, and administrative skill.
#1 When Ann Was Born
The biggest hits of 1819
Ann's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1819Born
1824Started school
1832Became a teenager
1835Could drive
1837Could vote
1840Turned 21
1849Turned 30
1859Turned 40
1869Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 60
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 70
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 80
President: William McKinley
1905Died at 86
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Organized relief efforts following the Confederate St. Albans Raid in 1864, the northernmost Civil War land action.
- Received an honorary commission as a Lieutenant Colonel on the Vermont Governor's military staff in 1870 for her wartime service.
- Served as President of the Board of Managers for the Vermont woman's exhibit at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
Did You Know?
She was the daughter-in-law of Mormon apostate and financier John P. Smith.
Smith was an active member of the Vermont Historical Society and contributed to preserving state history.
Her husband, J. Gregory Smith, was a president of the Northern Pacific Railway.
“A nation's strength is built by the hands of its women, organized and unyielding.”
