Early Life
Smith, known to his friends as "Baldy", was born at St. Albans, Vermont, a cousin of John G. Smith, and the son of Ashbel and Sarah Butler Smith. He was educated locally in Vermont until he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1841, and graduated four years later standing fourth of 41 cadets. Smith was brevetted a second lieutenant on July 1, 1845, and was assigned to the Topographical Engineers Corps. He was promoted to second lieutenant on July 14, 1849, and promoted to first lieutenant on March 3, 1853.
During his service in the Corps, Smith conducted surveys of the Great Lakes, the states of Texas, Arizona, and Florida, as well as much of Mexico. While serving in Florida, Smith was stricken with the infectious disease malaria. Although he would recover at the time, the illness affected his physical health for the rest of his life. In 1856 Smith began his involvement in the lighthouse service, which was headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and eventually rose to become the Engineer Secretary of the Lighthouse Board.
Smith was also twice assistant professor of mathematics at West Point (1846–48 and 1855–56). He was promoted to captain on July 1, 1859.
Read more about this topic: William Farrar Smith
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