James Adger Smyth

James Adger Smyth
49th Mayor of Charleston
In office 1895–1903
Preceded by	John F. Ficken
Succeeded by	R. Goodwyn Rhett
Personal details
Born	June 8, 1837 Charleston, South Carolina
Died	April 25, 1920 (aged 82) Charleston, South Carolina
Profession	cotton broker

Mayor Smyth occupied the historic Simmons-Edwards House at 14 Legare St. from 1879 to his death.

James Adger Smyth was Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina for two terms between 1896 and 1903.

Smyth was born on June 8, 1837, in Charleston, South Carolina. His father, Thomas Smyth, was pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Charleston; his mother, Margaret Milligan Adger Smyth, was the daughter of a Charleston shipping merchant, James Adger. He attended Doctor Miller's Preparatory School, the Charleston High School, and Professor Sachtleben's School. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 1858 and began working at his uncles' wholesale hardware firm, J.E. Adger & Company. He married Annie Ransom Briggs, the daughter of Cedar Grove Plantation owner, Thomas Whitaker Briggs in March 1860. In 1862, he enlisted and fought with Company A of the 25th Regiment of the South Carolina Volunteers until the end of the Civil War in 1865.^[1]

After the war he resumed work with his maternal uncles, Robert Adger and Joseph Ellison Adger, at J.E. Adger & Company. During his ten years in the company he became an active member in the Chamber of Commerce. In 1875, Smyth became an independent cotton broker, and along with his cousin, Andrew Moffett Adger, started the company Smyth and Adger, successfully brokering cotton from North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.^[2]

Smyth grew increasingly involved in local politics. He was member of the State and County Democratic Executive Committees (1876), City Council (1885), and mayor for two four-year terms (1895 to 1903). He retired in 1904.

He lived at 14 Legare St., Charleston, South Carolina from 1879 until he died on April 25, 1920.^[3]

References

1. Hemphill, James Calvin (1908). Men of Mark in South Carolina. Washington, D.C.: Men of Mark Publishing. p. 406.
2. Cutler, Harry Gardner. History of South Carolina. The Lewis Publishing Co. p. 270. Retrieved Jan 8, 1913. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
3. "Ex-Mayor Smyth Has Passed Away". Charleston News & Courier. April 26, 1920.