Smith's cousin, Henry Rogers Seager, was also a member of the same fraternity at Michigan and later became a noted economist.

[2] Smith together with his father and Henry Russel provided the financial backing for the new venture,[3] which was moved from Lansing to Detroit.

He gave responsibility for sales to Roy Chapin, another promising young automotive pioneer from Lansing.

At one point, Chapin's mother wrote to Frederic Smith and complained that her son had been given too many responsibilities for too little pay.

Smith responded by telling Mrs. Chapin that her son was "the brightest and most promising of all the young managers at Olds.

A special subcommittee with Smith as its sole member was formed to review Ford's admission to ALAM.

Ford's plan to assemble one inexpensive model at a low price point was a threat to Olds' low-end vehicles.

"[8] In a personal meeting with Ford, Smith told him to "abandon all hope of becoming an automobile manufacturer.