William Wragg Smith

Who was William Wragg Smith?

William Wragg Smith, b.1808 d.1875, was the son of the U.S. statesman William Loughton Smith. He was a gentleman planter, lawyer, naturalist, translator and poet. He was the second-to-last owner of the Smith-Wragg Plantation, the last being his wife Mary Theresa Hedley Smith and their children, who moved to New York. He was also a founding member of the Elliott Natural History Society; Elliott was a founder of the Smithsonian.

He authored several works, including:

"The Last Canto of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, translated and amplified from the French of Alphonse de Lamartine" [and other minor poems].

"Autumn Coloring, Fall of the Leaf, Winter Habit of Trees and Shrubs in the Lower Country of South Carolina."

"Sketch of the Seminole War and Sketches during a Campaign. By a Lieutenant of the Left Wing", which was published anonymously but subsequently attributed to "W.W. Smith" in some cases, and M.M. Cohen in others This book deals with wartime events, Florida botany, as well as Seminole language and customs.

"Flora of the Lower Country of South Carolina Reviewed"