Smith, William Angie

William Angie Smith (1894-1974), American Methodist bishop, was born December 21, 1894 in Elgin, Texas. He graduated from Southwestern University in 1917 and was ordained elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1924. Smith served charges in several places, including El Paso, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, DC; Birmingham, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas. In 1944, he was elected bishop by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference and assigned to the Oklahoma-New Mexico Area, which comprised of the Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Mission, and New Mexico Annual Conferences. Smith served these conferences for twenty-four years. He also served as president of the Board of Evangelism from 1952 to 1964 and as president of the Council of Bishops in 1957. Smith was also heavily involved with the World Methodist Council and the United States military chaplaincy program. Smith married Bess Owens in 1920 and had 3 sons: William III, Bryant, and Shelby. Mrs. Smith was also very active in the Methodist Church, particularly with the Bishops Wives Association. Bishop William Angie Smith died on March 15, 1974 at the age of 79.