Elbert B. Smith

E. B. Smith (1921–2013) was an American historian and author, noted for his works on the history of Antebellum American politics.

Early life

Elbert Benjamin Smith was born in Benham, Kentucky, on May 1, 1921. In 1940, he received his bachelor's degree from Maryville College in Tennessee. He served in the United States Navy as a deck officer during World War II. After the war, Smith attended the University of Chicago, where he received his master's degree in 1947 and his doctorate in 1949. He died on April 30, 2013, in Harwood, Maryland.

Academic career Smith taught at Youngstown State University, Iowa State University, and the University of Wisconsin. He also taught as an exchange professor at the University of Beijing in 1983 and 1988. Smith later served as president of the Fulbright Association. He retired as professor emeritus in 1990.

Publications

Magnificent Missourian: The Life of Thomas Hart Benton (1958) The Death of Slavery: The United States, 1837–65 (1967) The Presidency of James Buchanan (1975) Francis Preston Blair: A Biography (1980) The Presidencies of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillimore (1988) President Zachary Taylor: The Hero President (2010)