Reverend Robert Phillip Smith (1863-1945) was an American educator, pastor, and published writer who spent most of his life between Ohio and Montana.
Smith spent his childhood on a farm with his large family, including his parents (Stephen and Abigail) from England, three brothers, and two sisters.
"[2] One of his most popular lectures was "Lincoln, the Man," which was requested 65 times by different organizations and people, and inspired the third, most extensive biography on Smith, which was written in December 1965 as a term paper.
[2] Even earlier, Smith was acknowledged for the influence of his sermons, with a text synthesizing the history of Kansas Wesleyan University quoting Smith during one of these sermons: "Do not miss the aim of college...It is intended to help us to discover ourselves and our natural aptitudes, to arouse us from lethargy and self- complacency, to teach us to aspire and strive for the ideal.
"[4] Even after a faculty dispute that drove Smith to resign from his role at Kansas Wesleyan,[1] his impact on the university and the quality of his sermons were largely appreciated at the time by his peers.