About Henry Nash Smith
Henry Nash Smith was a scholar of American culture and literature. He is recognized as one of the founders of the academic discipline American studies. He was also a noted Mark Twain scholar, and the curator of the Mark Twain Papers. The Handbook of Texas reported that an uncle encouraged Smith to read at an early age, and that the boy developed an interest in the works of Rudyard Kipling, Robert L. Stevenson and Mark Twain. Henry Nash Smith (September 29, 1906 – June 6, 1986) was a scholar of American culture and literature. In 1926, Smith received his Bachelor's degree at SMU, then enrolled at Harvard University, where he earned the Master of Fine Arts degree. Smith, who did not yet have a PhD, returned to Southern Methodist University in 1927 and began teaching in the English Department.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.