Gov. James Youngs Smith

Photograph

Groton Public Library

Name/Title

Gov. James Youngs Smith

Entry/Object ID

2026.045.005

Description

Portrait of Governor James Y. Smith of Providence, Rhode Island, c. 1860s. Photograph from the album of Caroline Latham Mitchell of Groton. James Youngs Smith was born in Groton on September 15, 1809, the son of Amos Denison Smith and Priscilla Mitchell Smith. He arrived in Providence, RI in 1826 and became one of the leading textile investors in Rhode Island. He served as the Mayor of Providence from 1855-1857 and as the Governor of Rhode Island from 1862-1866. He died in Providence on March 26, 1876.

Photograph Details

Type of Photograph

Carte de Visite

Subject Person or Organization

Smith, James

Collection

Beckett Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2026.045

Source or Donor

Beckett, Amie

Acquisition Method

Donation

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Carte-de-visite

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Print, Photographic

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Photograph

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Graphic Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Provenance

Notes

From the photograph album of Mrs. Caroline Latham Mitchell (1815-1896), which was given to "cousin" Lizzie C. Brown (1853-1936, granddaughter of Lucy Avery Mitchell) during a visit to Groton in August 1907. The album was passed down through several generations of the family before it was donated to the Groton Public Library in October 2026.