Charles Smith (developer)

Charles Emil Smith (March 28, 1901 – December 30, 1995)[1][2] was a real estate developer and philanthropist in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Charles E. Smith
Born	Schmidoff (1901-03-28)March 28, 1901 Lipnick, Russian Empire
Died	December 30, 1995(1995-12-30) (aged 94) Palm Beach, Florida, US
Education	degree in accounting
Alma mater	City College of New York
Occupation	builder, real estate developer, philanthropist
Years active	in business until 1967; philanthropist thereafter
Organization	Charles E. Smith Companies
Board member of	George Washington University trustee 1967–1976
Spouse(s)	Leah Goldstein (m. 1927–death 1972) Miriam Uretz Smith (div. 1988)
Children	Arlene Kogod, Robert H. Smith
Relatives	Robert Kogod (son-in-law) David Bruce Smith (grandson)
Awards	honorary doctorates from: Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jewish Theological Seminary of America George Washington University Honorary Doctor of Public Service, 1979
Notes
[1][2][3]

Biography

Smith (born Schmidoff),[1] was born in Lipnick, Russian Empire on March 28, 1901[2] to an Orthodox[4] Jewish family in Russia, the son of Sadie and Reuven Schmidoff.[5][6] He immigrated to Brownsville, Brooklyn[7] in 1911 speaking only Yiddish upon his arrival.[1] He started as a developer in Brooklyn, but lost everything in the Great Depression.[8]

He moved to Rockville, MD where he first developed apartments and later office buildings. He founded the Charles E. Smith Co. and developed the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia. He retired in 1967 and turned to philanthropy.[1]

Philanthropy

He planned a complex in Rockville for Jewish agencies including the Hebrew Home for the Aged, the Jewish Social Service Agency and the Jewish Community Center. He was a trustee of George Washington University (GWU) from 1967 to 1976 as well as Chairman of the Committee on University Development. The Charles E. Smith Athletic Center at George Washington University is named in his honor.[9] He played a key role in developing GW's branch campus in Loudoun County, Virginia.

His contributions to Jewish philanthropy include:

• Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
• Charles E. Smith Life Communities
• Hartman High School- Charles E. Smith High School for Boys
• Charles E. Smith Family and Prof. Joel Elkes Laboratory for Collaborative Research in Psychobiology[10][11]
• Charles E. Smith chair in Judaic studies at GWU[12]

Smith held honorary doctorates from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Jewish Theological Seminary and George Washington University.[1] In 1997 he was posthumously awarded an Honor Award from the National Building Museum alongside other community developers of Washington, D.C., including Morris Cafritz and Charles A. Horsky.[13]

Personal life

Smith married twice. His first wife was Leah Goldstein of Yonkers whom he married on February 8, 1927;[14] they had two children, Robert H. Smith and Arlene Smith Kogod (married to Robert P. Kogod). Leah died in 1972.[15] His second wife was Miriam Schuman Uretz Smith.[16]

References

1. Weil, Martin (January 1, 1996). "Washington Builder, Philanthropist Charles E. Smith Dies" (PDF). Washington Post. p. A1.
2. Smith, David Bruce. Conversations with Papa Charlie: A Memory of Charles E. Smith. Capital Books, Inc. p. xiv. ISBN 978-1-892123-34-3. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
3. "George Washington University Official Athletic Site – Athletics". August 31, 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved 2013-01-20. Smith Center at George Washington University
4. Smith, p. 16
5. Smith, p. 7
6. Shapiro, Edward S. (1995). A Time for Healing: American Jewry since World War II. JHU Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780801851247.
7. Smith, p. 9
8. Smith, p. 13
9. "Smith and Kogod families commit $10 million for transformational renovation of Charles E. Smith Center". February 14, 2008. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
10. "Smith Elkes Laboratory". Jerusalem: The National Institute for Psychobiology. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
11. "Founders and Patrons – Mr. Charles E. Smith". Jerusalem: The National Institute for Psychobiology. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
12. "Judaic Studies at GW". Judaic Studies Program – The George Washington University. Retrieved 2013-01-20. ...establishment of the Charles E. Smith Chair in Judaic Studies in 1979...
13. "Va. Trust Hopes to Buy Battlefield; Down Payment Applied To Chancellorsville Site". Washington Post. 1997-11-13. Missing or empty |url= (help)
14. Smith, p. 19
15. Smith, p. 95
16. "Miriam H. Smith "Micki"". The Washington Post. November 6, 2014.

Writings

• Smith, Charles E.; David Bruce Smith; Peter Muller (1985). Building My Life. Washington, D. C.?: C.E. Smith. LCCN 86463574. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
• Smith, Charles E.; David Bruce Smith (1998). Building the Community: Memorable Events in my Life. Washington D.C.: C.E. Smith. LCCN 97181010.
• Smith, Charles E.; David Bruce Smith (c. 1993). Letters to my Children. LCCN 93204323.

Further reading

• Smith, David Bruce. Conversations with Papa Charlie: A Memory of Charles E. Smith. Capital Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-892123-34-3.
• Smith, David Bruce (October 2, 2008). 13 Young Men: How Charles E. Smith Influenced a Community (Google eBook). Washington D.C.: C.E. Smith. ISBN 978-0-615-26854-5. LCCN 2010467953. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
• Van Dyne, Larry (July 1, 2001). "Chasing Money: Getting Big Donations Is the Name of the Game..." Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved 2013-01-20.

External links

• Founding of Smith Life Communities
• "About Charles E. Smith – Charles E. Smith Life Communities". Charles E. Smith Life Communities. Archived from the original on 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
• History of Smith Life Communities