C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith

Born in 1864 and active during a period when English studies were rapidly expanding in the United States, C. Alphonso Smith built a reputation as a professor of English, philologist, and folklorist. He was especially interested in how language lived in ordinary use, not just in formal literary tradition.

He taught at major universities and also served as a college dean, combining scholarship with academic leadership. Alongside his university work, he wrote and edited books on literature and language, including studies connected with Southern writing and with O. Henry.

What makes him memorable is the breadth of his interests: he moved comfortably between literary criticism, the history of English, and the collection of folk material. That mix helped him speak to both students and general readers before his death in 1924.