Erythronium Americanum

Edwin Oscar Smith (1871 – October 28, 1960) was a Connecticut politician who served 28 years in the Connecticut House of Representatives^[1] and, from April through September, 1908, was president of the Connecticut Agricultural College,^[2] which is now the University of Connecticut.

Biography

Smith was born in Albany, New York. He attended Wesleyan University, graduating in 1893.^[1] He played professional baseball on teams in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Adirondacks region of New York and he was a baseball and football coach at Depauw University.^[3]

Between 1901 and 1916 he was a member of the faculty of the Connecticut Agricultural College (now the University of Connecticut) in Storrs, teaching English and economics.^[1] He served as the school's football and baseball coach for four seasons, from 1902 to 1905, compiling a 14–13–1 record in football and a 13–9–1 record in baseball.^[4]^[5] From April through September 1908 he held the school's interim presidency.^[2]

A Republican, Smith was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1932 and served 14 consecutive two-year terms in the House. He was seeking re-election to a fifteenth term when he died from a heart attack on October 28, 1960. He also was a member of the Connecticut State Board of Education between 1935 and 1939. As a state legislator, he played a significant role in the enactment of legislation related to education and served as chairman of the Legislative Committee on Education that in 1954 established a formula for state government financial support of public schools.^[1]^[3]

At the time of his death at the age of 89, Smith was the oldest and longest-serving member of the Connecticut General Assembly.^[1]

E. O. Smith High School

E. O. Smith High School, established in 1958 as a regional school to serve the towns of Ashford and Mansfield, is named for him.^[6] Originally part of the University of Connecticut campus, owned by the state, and operated by the university, it has been operated as a regional public school since 1987.^[7] In 1993 the town of Willington was added to the region served by the school.^[7]

Head coaching record

Football


Year	Team	Overall
DePauw (Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1894)
1894	DePauw	4–4
DePauw:		4–4
Connecticut Aggies (Athletic League of New England State Colleges) (1902–1905)
1902	Connecticut	4–3
1903	Connecticut	3–5
1904	Connecticut	5–3–1
1905	Connecticut	2–2
Connecticut:		14–13–1
Total:		18–17–1

Baseball

The following table depicts Smith's record as head baseball coach at Connecticut.^[8]

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall
Connecticut Aggies (1902–1905)
1902	Connecticut	3–1
1903	Connecticut	3–4
1904	Connecticut	3–1
1905	Connecticut	3–3–1
Total:		12–9–1

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rep. E.O. Smith, 89, of Connecticut dies, The New York Times, October 29, 1960
^ ^a ^b Betsy Pittman (2008), University of Connecticut President's Office Records: Edwin O. Smith, 1908, Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut, archived from the original on September 7, 2008
^ ^a ^b Rep. E.O. Smith, Dean of the House, Taken by Death, Meriden Journal, October 28, 1960
^ Connecticut Huskies Football History, NationalChamps.net website, accessed August 16, 2011
^ "University of Connecticut - SABR Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
^ Celebrating 50 Years Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Edwin O. Smith High School website, accessed August 18, 2011
^ ^a ^b School / Region History Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Edwin O. Smith High School website, accessed August 18, 2011
^ 2018 Baseball Media Guide (PDF). uconnhuskies.com. pp. 40, 59. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.