Peter H. Goldsmith

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Peter Hair Goldsmith (1865–1926) studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and began his career in Baptist ministry. He later joined the Unitarian church and served as minister of First Church in Salem, Massachusetts, from 1903 to 1910, followed by a ministry in Yonkers, New York.

Goldsmith also built a wide-ranging literary and public career. He wrote and translated, contributed hymn texts, and became closely involved with inter-American cultural work. Sources from his own period describe him as director of the Inter-American or Pan-American division of the American Association for International Conciliation and as editor of Inter-America, a magazine devoted to exchange among the peoples of the Americas.

His books reflect that same interest in connecting readers across borders. Among them are A Brief Bibliography of Books in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Relating to the Republics Commonly Called Latin America and Official Instruction in the Countries of Middle and Southern America. Taken together, his work suggests a writer who wanted English-speaking audiences to look more seriously at Latin America, its literature, and its public life.