Professor of Chemistry
Centurion, 1915–1922
Born 11 September 1865 in Edinburgh, Scotland
Died 8 September 1922 in Edinburgh, Scotland
Proposed by Charles Baskerville and George F. Kunz
Elected 6 November 1915 at age fifty
Century Memorial
Alexander Smith was a really great teacher of chemistry, remarkable for the clearness of his exposition and for his logical array of facts. His text-books were standards the world over; they were translated and largely used even in Russian and Chinese editions. Not long after his advent as head of the department of chemistry at Columbia his health broke down, and his death was a release from many years of suffering. Members of the Century had but little chance to meet him in the fullness of his powers.
Alexander Dana Noyes
1923 Century Association Yearbook
