Joseph Brown Smith

Joseph Brown Smith (March 14, 1823 – May 6, 1859) was an American music instructor and notable graduate of the Perkins School for the Blind. He was the first blind student to graduate from college in the United States.

Early life Joseph Brown Smith was born on March 14, 1823, in Dover, New Hampshire. An infection within the week of his birth caused him to become blind. His father died when he was three years old, at which time he moved with his mother to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Smith would later travel with Howe on promotional exhibitions throughout the United States, showcasing his mathematical abilities, to help advocate for education for the blind.

Smith enrolled in Harvard in 1840 at age seventeen, the first Perkins graduate to do so.

In 1844, Smith became Professor of Music at what would become the Kentucky School for the Blind. During this time, he also worked at the First Unitarian Church of Louisville as a part-time organist

Smith died in 1859, aged 36, after battling illness.

Published musical works In 1842, two of Smith's short piano compositions, "Harvard Waltz" and "Harvard Quick Step," were published by C. H. Keith.

During his time in Louisville, Smith published seven songs and piano works:

Araby's Daughter (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, 1852) I Have Known Thee in the Sunshine (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, 1851) I Know Thou Art Gone to the Home of Thy Rest (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, 1851) O'er the Bright Moonlit Sea (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, 1851) The Swing (Louisville: G.W. Brainard, 1851) The First Beatitude (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, 1851) Waltz Scherzando (Louisville: F.W. Ratcliffe, n.d.)