Joshua Bowen Smith

Joshua Bowen Smith was a confidant of U.S. Senator Charles Sumner and one of the best-known public figures of his day. After working with H.R. Thacker, a caterer, Smith opened his own establishment in 1849. He provided commencement dinners for Harvard College, catered municipal functions and oversaw some of the most celebrated banquets in Boston history. Smith was elected to the state legislature in 1873 and 1874 and served as chair of the Federal Relations Committee.

Today this historical site is a residential building.