LEE S. SMITH & SON COMPANY 
Lee S. Smith & Son Company was founded January 1, 
1866—61 years ago. Its ownership and executive control 
has remained unchanged during the entire six decades. The 
late Lee S. Smith originally came to Pittsburgh in 1862 to 
study dentistry with Dr. C. Sill, a prominent Pittsburgh 
dentist at that time; he worked in Dr. Sill’s office for two 
years before enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil 
War. 
Before enlisting he clerked for a short time in the den- 
tal depot operated by Torrence & McGarr in counection 
with their drug store on the corner of Fourth and Market. 
On his return to the city Mr. Smith learned that Dr. M. E. 
Gillespie, who had in the meantime purchased the depot, 
desired to dispose of it. Mr. Smith had no money except 
a small amount of back pay due from the government, but 
Dr. Gillespie sold the business to him on notes. 
The meager stock was moved to 58 Market street, be- 
tween Third and Fourth, and said Mr. Smith, “On Jan- 
wary Ist, 1866, I launched the Lee S. Smith Dental Depot 
and flung my banner to the breeze. Because I couldn’t 
afford to do anything else I took my sleeping quarters under 
the counter, did my own janitor work and ran my own er- 
rands. When my son Linford was old enough 1 employed 
him first as errand boy and then as salesman. When he 
finished school I gave him an interest in the firm, then 
changing its name to Lee S. Smith & Son. Later the business 
was incorporated as Lee S. Smith & Son Company.” 
The enterprise which had such a humble birth has grown 
until it is today one of the largest businesses of the kind in 
the entire world. The retail salesroom and executive offices 
occupy an entire floor in the Keenan Building, from which 
a staff of salesmen travel the surrounding territory; a four- 
story factory building at Aspinwall is owned and operated 
by the company, shipping dental goods throughout America 
and to countries overseas.