George Francis Smith was born in Upton, Massachusetts on October 27, 1894 to Honora (Jordan) and Edward J. Smith. He grew up with two brothers, William J. and Edward J. Smith, Jr.

After attending Boston University from 1912-1913 and Boston College from 1913-1914, Smith entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Andrews-on-Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York on September 7, 1914. He studied at the Jesuit Scholasticate in Woodstock, Maryland, from 1918-1921, where he received his A.B. and A.M. degrees. Smith continued his studies in Europe from 1924-1931. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop DiMeo in Naples, Italy, on July 17, 1927. Smith completed the course in theology at the Pontifical Collegium di San Luigi in Naples, Italy from 1924-1928, his Tertianship at St. Andrä in Austria from 1928-1929, his biennium at both Weston College and the Sorbonne in Paris from 1929-1931, and finally earned his Ph.D. at Gregorian University in Rome in 1931.

During his regency, Smith taught Latin, Greek, and Mathematics at Xavier High School in New York City from 1921-1923 and European History and French at Georgetown University from 1923-1924. He would later teach modern languages and European and church history at Weston College (1929-1930, 1932-1941) and at Boston College (1931-1932, 1941-1962). Smith was a distinguished linguist who read and spoke ten languages.

Smith was nicknamed “Huck Finn, SJ” by his fellow Jesuit community members as he was very passionate about horticulture and fishing. He planted a grove of pine trees on the Boston College campus and cultivated a vegetable garden.

Smith died on September 18, 1962.

Source:

Boston College Faculty Collection, Boston College Archives