Albert Henry Smyth

Born in 1863, Albert Henry Smyth was an American author, editor, and scholar based in Philadelphia. He studied at Central High School and the University of Pennsylvania, where he later became a professor of chemistry. Alongside his scientific career, he wrote poetry and prose and developed a lasting interest in American literary and historical figures.

Smyth is especially remembered for his work on Benjamin Franklin. He edited a major collection of Franklin's writings and also wrote books on Franklin and other subjects, showing a talent for making historical and literary material accessible to general readers.

He died in 1907 at a relatively young age, but his range was unusually wide: scientist, teacher, poet, biographer, and editor. That mix of careful research and literary feeling gives his work a distinctive character even now.