Ever heard of a man called the “father of Texas medicine” and “the father of the University of Texas”? That man is Ashbel Smith. The Ashbel Smith, M. D. Plaque commemorates his remarkable life.
Ashbel Smith was born in Hartford Connecticut in 1805. He excelled academically earning degrees from Yale by age nineteen. Smith’s journey took him from medicine to diplomacy.
After teaching and studying medicine including a stint in Paris where he combatted a cholera epidemic Smith practiced medicine in North Carolina. But Texas called him in 1836. James Pinckney Henderson convinced Smith to move to the newly formed Republic of Texas.
Upon arrival, Smith became close friends with Sam Houston. Houston appointed him surgeon general of the Army of the Republic of Texas in 1837. Ashbel Smith established the first hospital in Houston as part of his role. He also chaired the Board of Medical Censors. During Galveston’s yellow fever epidemic in 1839 Smith treated patients and wrote the first treatise on the disease in Texas.
Recognizing his diplomatic skills Houston sent Ashbel Smith to negotiate with the Comanche Indians in 1838. Later Smith served as chargé d’affaires of Texas to England and France from 1842 to 1844. He secured a treaty of amity and commerce with England. Smith also improved relations with France.
As secretary of state in 1845, Ashbel Smith helped Texas decide between independence and annexation to the United States. He negotiated a treaty with Mexico that acknowledged Texas’s independence. This Smith-Cuevas Treaty angered many Texans who favored annexation.
After Texas became a state, Ashbel Smith served three terms in the state legislature. He supported railroad construction land titles and public schools. Smith also helped found the University of Texas.
During the Mexican and Civil Wars, Smith served Texas militarily. He organized the Bayland Guards during the Civil War. He was injured at Shiloh and later commanded the Second Texas Infantry.
Ashbel Smith dedicated himself to education. He championed public education for all. He helped establish Prairie View A&M University. Smith also worked to establish a state university with a medical branch. As president of the University of Texas Board of Regents he recruited top professors and set up a first-rate curriculum.
Ashbel Smith died in 1886. He left behind a legacy as a doctor diplomat and education advocate. The Ashbel Smith, M. D. Plaque stands as a reminder of his contributions to Texas. He truly was a pioneer in every sense of the word.