Smith attended Harvard University and Andover Theological Seminary. He entered the Baptist ministry in 1832, and the same year became editor of Baptist Missionary Magazine. He also contributed to the Encyclopedia Americana. From 1834 to 1842, he pastored at Waterville, Maine, and was Professor of Modern Languages at Waterville College. In 1842, he moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where he stayed until 1854, when he became editor of the publications of the Baptist Missionary Union.

The secular world best remembers Smith as the lyricist for the anthem “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” He and Oliver Wendell Holmes were classmates at Harvard, and at a reunion for the class of 1829, Holmes wrote:

There’s a nice youngster of excellent pith,
Fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith;
But he shouted a song for the brave and the free,
Just read on his medal, “My country,” “of thee.”

Smith’s other works include:

• The Psalmist, 1843 (co-editor with Baron Stow)
• Lyric Gems, 1854
• Rock of Ages, 1870