Albert W. (Albert William) Smith

Born on August 30, 1856, in Westmoreland, New York, Albert William Smith studied at Cornell University, where he graduated in 1878 and later returned for graduate work in mechanical engineering. A memorial published by Cornell describes him as an outstanding student and oarsman who went on to become a respected teacher of engineering.

Smith spent part of his career teaching mechanical engineering at major universities, including the University of Wisconsin and Stanford. He wrote technical works such as Machine Design and Materials of Machines, showing that he was deeply involved in the practical and academic side of engineering.

For readers of literature, he is also connected with The Giant, and Other Nonsense Verse, a much lighter and more whimsical book that remains available through Project Gutenberg. He died in 1942, leaving behind an unusual legacy that combines exacting technical work with a taste for humor and imaginative verse.