After the forced resignation of Nathan Lord in 1863 over his support for slavery, the Trustees wanted a more conservative president to take his place. As a preacher for 29 years at the 14th Street Presbyterian Church in New York City, Asa Dodge had developed a reputation as a religious man with abolitionist beliefs.

Smith's presidency was a period of great growth for the College, including the establishment of two new schools within Dartmouth. The New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, later moved to Durham, New Hampshire and renamed the University of New Hampshire, was founded in Hanover in 1866. One year later, the Thayer School of Engineering was founded. Over the course of his presidency, enrollment at the College was more than doubled, the number of scholarships increased from 42 to 103, and Dartmouth benefited from several important bequests. Both schools grew during his dual Presidency.

Smith graduated from Dartmouth in 1830. Then he went on to graduate from the Andover Theological Seminary in 1834. He married Sarah Ann Adams and the two had seven children.^[1]

Asa Dodge's son William Thayer Smith (1839–1909) served as Dean of the Medical School from 1896 until his death in 1909 and was the first dean to give the name "Dartmouth Medical School" to the organization which had until then never had a consistent name. He was also the first person to perform a surgery in the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital. He was a Dartmouth Medical School class of 1879 and received an honorary LL.D. from Dartmouth in 1897.

• Wheelock Succession

• Dartmouth Wheelock Succession
• Dartmouth College
• Inauguration Speech
• Farewell Sermon to 14th Street Presbyterian Church
• University of New Hampshire: Office of the President
• Full list of University Presidents (including interim Presidents), University of New Hampshire Library
• Rev Asa Dodge Smith at Find a Grave