The wealthy reformer who funded a slave insurrection by mistake

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born into a massive fortune, Gerrit Smith used his wealth to champion radical causes like temperance and abolition. While he provided significant financial support to the activist John Brown, he reportedly did not realize his money would fund a violent insurrection, an event that eventually led to his temporary confinement.

Gerrit Smith was a prominent American reformer and philanthropist who became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. Born into a wealthy family in Utica, New York, he inherited a massive fortune from his father, Peter Smith. His father was a slave owner and the largest landholder in New York State, who amassed a fortune through the fur trade and real estate. In 1819, a $400,000 enterprise was handed by Peter Smith to Gerrit, followed by a $800,000 gift for his offspring in 1837. Gerrit received 50,000 acres of property from his parent, with his holdings peaking at 750,000 acres—surpassing the size of Rhode Island.

He became an active worker in the temperance movement around 1828, building one of the country's first temperance hotels in Peterboro. His commitment to abolition crystallized in 1835 after witnessing a mob disrupt an antislavery meeting in Utica. He later organized the Liberty Party and was nominated for the presidency in 1848, 1856, and 1860. He also served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853 to 1854, though he resigned his seat in 1854.

Smith's most complex legacy involves his relationship with the radical abolitionist John Brown. Smith provided significant financial backing to Brown, including a farm in Essex County and various funds. However, it is noted that Smith likely did not know these funds would be used to incite a slave insurrection. The psychological toll of the Harpers Ferry raid in October 1859 was so great that Smith was temporarily declared insane and confined to an asylum in Utica for several weeks. Post-war, he advocated for a mild policy toward the Confederacy, even becoming a security for Jefferson Davis, which drew criticism from Northern Radicals.

Beyond his political activism, Smith was an opponent of land monopoly. He distributed 50-acre farms to indigent families and attempted to colonize northern New York with free Black people, though that specific experiment failed. He also provided legal expenses for those charged under the Fugitive Slave Law. Despite his radicalism, he was well-liked by many, earning the nickname "the sage of Peterboro," and his home became a hub for the Underground Railroad and the abolition movement.

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