Alfred Smith Barnes

Alfred Smith Barnes (January 28, 1817 – February 17, 1888) was an American publisher and philanthropist.

Barnes was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Eli Barnes of Southington, Connecticut, a farmer and innkeeper, who founded the hamlet of "Barnesville", which is now Fair Haven, Connecticut. His mother's maiden name was "Morris", and her family came from Morris Cove, Connecticut. Barnes went to primary school in Wethersfield, Connecticut, but he left when his father died in 1827. At the age of 12, Barnes was placed with an uncle, Deacon Norman Smith, who lived near Hartford, and he was schooled by Prof. Jesse Olney, working on his uncle's farm in the summer.

As a young man, Barnes worked as a clerk in a shoe store, then for D. F. Robinson & Co., a publisher in Hartford, where he learned the publishing trade. While in Hartford, he successfully published books aimed at the educational market by Charles Davies on mathematics and Emma Willard on history, in a joint venture between the three of them. Barnes then moved to Philadelphia in 1840, where for four years he built a publishing company, which he then transferred to New York City. After passing through a number of partners and company names, Barnes settled on "A. S. Barnes & Co." in 1865.

A. S. Barnes was a family operation: eventually, his five sons, his brother and one nephew were connected to the firm, which became the leading publisher of textbooks in the United States, as well as issuing general interest books on a wide range of subjects.

Barnes himself became well-connected in New York society. He was a member of the Union League Club of New York, a long-time member and supporter of the Long Island Historical Society and its Director for 21 years from 1867 until his death, and a trustee of the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church of Brooklyn, where he lived for many years. He was associated with the Union Pacific Railroad, the New York Elevated Railroad – for which he was a notable proponent – the Hanover Bank, the Dime Savings Bank and the Home Insurance Company.

As a philanthropist, Barnes was a major benefactor of Cornell University, where he founded Barnes Hall, and was also associated with Fisk University in Tennessee. He supported academies and churches in Brooklyn as well, and contributed $3000 towards the construction of a building for the Long Island Historical Society.

Barnes managed his company until his retirement in 1880. He was married twice, in 1840 to Harriet E. Burr, with whom he had ten children, and in 1883 to Mary Matthews Smith. His son, Alfred Cutler Barnes, took over the business after the death of his father, later helping to form the conglomerate American Book Company, under which "A. S. Barnes" continued as an imprint.

Barnes died at his Brooklyn Heights home, which later became the Brooklyn Women's Club.