William Jay Smith

American writer, translator, editor (1918–2015)
Person human Q4355736
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William Jay Smith

Summary

William Jay Smith is a human[1]. Born in Winnfield[2], he… he was born on April 22, 1918[3]. He died in Lenox[4]. He died on August 18, 2015[5]. He worked as a poet[6], university teacher[7], and translator[8]. He ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (29 views/month, #7,290 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • William Jay Smith was born in Winnfield[2].
  • William Jay Smith passed away in Lenox[4].
  • William Jay Smith was born on April 22, 1918[3].
  • William Jay Smith died on August 18, 2015[5].
  • William Jay Smith is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery[10].
  • Among William Jay Smith's spouses was Barbara Howes[11].
  • William Jay Smith held citizenship in United States[12].
  • William Jay Smith worked as a poet[6].
  • William Jay Smith worked as a university teacher[7].
  • William Jay Smith's professions included translator[8].
  • William Jay Smith's field of work was literature[13].
  • William Jay Smith's field of work was English-language literature[14].
  • William Jay Smith's field of work was translating activity[15].
  • William Jay Smith held the position of United States Poet Laureate[16].
  • William Jay Smith was educated at Columbia University[17].
  • William Jay Smith's education included a stint at Washington University in St. Louis[18].
  • William Jay Smith was educated at Wadham College[19].
  • William Jay Smith received the Rome Prize[20].
  • William Jay Smith received the Rhodes Scholarship[21].
  • William Jay Smith received the Russell Loines Award for Poetry[22].
  • William Jay Smith was a member of American Academy of Arts and Letters[23].
  • William Jay Smith is recorded as male[24].
  • William Jay Smith's instance of is recorded as human[25].
  • William Jay Smith's family name is recorded as Smith[26].
  • William Jay Smith's given name is recorded as William[27].

Body

Origins and Family

William Jay Smith's place of birth was Winnfield[2]. He was born on April 22, 1918[3].

Education

Educated at Columbia University[17], a private university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1754[30], headquartered in Manhattan[31]; Washington University in St. Louis[18], a private university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1853[34], headquartered in St. Louis County[35]; and Wadham College[19], a college of the University of Oxford[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1610[38], headquartered in Oxford[39].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include poet[6], university teacher[7], and translator[8]. Fields of work include literature[13], a type of arts[40]; English-language literature[14], a sub-set of literature[41]; and translating activity[15]. William Jay Smith held the position of United States Poet Laureate[16].

Recognition

Awards received include Rome Prize[20], an art prize[42], in United States[43]; Rhodes Scholarship[21], a scholarship[44], in United Kingdom[45], founded in 1902[46]; and Russell Loines Award for Poetry[22], a poetry award[47].

Personal Life

Among William Jay Smith's spouses was Barbara Howes[11].

Death and Burial

William Jay Smith died on August 18, 2015[5]. He passed away in Lenox[4]. He is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery[10].

Why It Matters

William Jay Smith ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (29 views/month, #7,290 of 1,000,298).[9]

FAQs

Where was William Jay Smith born?

William Jay Smith's place of birth was Winnfield[2].

Where did William Jay Smith die?

William Jay Smith passed away in Lenox[4].

Who was William Jay Smith married to?

William Jay Smith's spouses include Barbara Howes[11].

What did William Jay Smith do for work?

William Jay Smith worked as poet[6], university teacher[7], and translator[8].

Where did William Jay Smith go to school?

William Jay Smith was educated at Columbia University[17], Washington University in St. Louis[18], and Wadham College[19].

What awards did William Jay Smith receive?

Honors received include Rome Prize[20], Rhodes Scholarship[21], and Russell Loines Award for Poetry[22].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [24] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] . wikidata.org.
  5. [12] . LIBRIS. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [25] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [16] . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . wikidata.org.
  9. [18] . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . Rhodes Scholar Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [13] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [15] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [6] . poets.org. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [7] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [8] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [10] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  18. [20] . wikidata.org.
  19. [21] . Rhodes Scholar Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [22] . wikidata.org.
  21. [23] . wikidata.org.
  22. [3] . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [5] . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [26] . wikidata.org.
  25. [27] . wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William Jay Smith. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-jay-smith
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-jay-smith_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William Jay Smith}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-jay-smith}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 14d ago · Magnus Manske · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Award received Rome Prize, Rhodes Scholarship, Russell Loines Award for Poetry
    Member of
    Spouse Barbara Howes
    Educated at
    + 22 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9984]]: 981060540310606706, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257405|batch #257405]]"
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