Robert Alexander Conrad Smith

Robert Alexander Conrad Smith (February 22, 1857 – July 27, 1933) was the Commissioner of Docks and Ferries in New York City and a member of the Port and Terminal Committee of the New York City Board of Estimate. He was also an entrepreneur in Cuba, where he developed and operated railroads and utilities.

Biography

Robert Alexander Conrad Smith was born in Dover, England, on February 22, 1857 and then his family moved to Spain, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, until 1869.

After moving to the United States he became Commissioner of Docks and Ferries in New York City succeeding Calvin Tomkins. On April 24, 1907, Smith's Anstice name was changed to Privateer. Smith and his friends sailed on the Privateer for the Jamestown Exposition, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony. The yacht was renamed the in 1914.

In 1915 he asked the city to cut his salary by $2,500, with the saved money to go to his assistants in his department. He reduced the departmental budget by $184,000 and wanted to trim the head count.

Smith died in Southampton, England, on July 27, 1933, after cerebrovascular accident while on an ocean voyage.