Winford H. Smith Collection

Biography

Winford H. Smith was born in West Scarborough, Maine. He received his A.B. from Bowdoin College in 1899 and his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1903. After his internship and residency in gynecology at Lakeside Hospital in Cleveland, Smith served as medical superintendent of several large hospitals in New York and Connecticut. In 1911, he came to the Johns Hopkins Hospital to succeed Henry M. Hurd as superintendent (later called director). He held that post until 1946, when he became director emeritus. While at Johns Hopkins, Smith exerted an influence on hospital affairs throughout the United States, serving as a consultant in the planning and organization of the medical centers of Duke University, Cornell University, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California. He served in both World Wars: assigned to the Hospital Division of the Surgeon General’s Office in World War I, and serving as chairman of the government committee that advised on all matters of procurement and allocation of medical and surgical supplies during World War II. Smith was an early advocate for rehabilitation centers for the disabled, improvement of rural health care, and the development of medical insurance programs. He was a founding member of Blue Cross of Maryland.

Scope and Content

The Winford H. Smith Collection spans his career at Johns Hopkins. It includes correspondence, notebooks, certificates, and photographs. An album of letters and photographs presented to Smith upon his retirement is also included in the collection. Additional Smith material may be found in the records of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Office of the Superintendent.

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