John Henry Smyth
Posted by: 
johnjm99
N 37° 44.891 W 077° 21.566
18S E 292126 N 4180497
14 July 1844~5 Sept. 1908
Waymark Code: WM840
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/27/2006
Views: 11
Born in Richmond, VA., to a free black mother and enslaved father, John Henry Smyth graduated from Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C., in 1872 and worked variously as a teacher, bank cashier, lawyer, and newspaper editor. He served as minister resident and consul general to Liberia, 1878-1885. His most enduring legacy, however, is the Hanover Juvenile Correctional Center, founded by him in 1897 as the Virginia Manual Labor School, among the first in the United States especially for African American youths. Smyth required his charges to labor on the school's farm to develop a strong work ethic. The center's school is named for him.
Marker Number: ND 13
Marker Title: John Henry Smyth
Marker Location: Route 301
County or Independent City: Hanover
Web Site: Not listed
Marker Program Sponsor: Not listed
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