{{short description|American lyricist (1901–1935)}} {{Infobox classical composer | name = Richard Bernhard Smith | image = <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see WP:NONFREE --> | caption = <!-- Only use to add context to the image. Do not repeat just the person's name here. --> | birth_name = <!-- Use only if different from name in header --> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|09|29}} | birth_place = Honesdale, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1935|09|28|1901|09|29}} | death_place = New York City, U.S. | era = 20th century | list_of_works = <!-- Link to "List of works" subarticles here. Do not list individual pieces. --> }}

'''Richard Bernhard Smith''' (September 29, 1901 &ndash; September 28, 1935) was an American lyricist who wrote the words for the popular Christmas song "Winter Wonderland", which was composed by Felix Bernard.

Smith was born on September 29, 1901, in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, the son of Eliza (Brunig) and John H. Smith, a partner with a glass manufacturing plant. His family was Episcopalian.<ref>{{cite news |title=Winter Wonderland, a local legacy |url=https://www.tricountyindependent.com/story/entertainment/local/2010/12/26/winter-wonderland-local-legacy/63644684007/ |work=Tri-County Independent |access-date=24 July 2020}}</ref> He graduated Honesdale School in 1920 and attended Pennsylvania State College. Smith married Jean Connor,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-origins-of-a-christmas-carol-the-real-winter-wonderland-1482246693|title=The Origins of a Christmas Carol: The Real 'Winter Wonderland'|first=Clare|last=Ansberry|newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> of Scranton, on March 30, 1930. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1931. He succumbed to the disease on September 28, 1935, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He was 33.<ref>{{cite news | title = Death Claims Wayne Native | work = Scranton Tribune | page = 3 | date = September 30, 1935 }}</ref> He was buried in Glen Dyberry Cemetery in Honesdale.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard Bernhard}} Category:American lyricists Category:1901 births Category:1935 deaths Category:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Category:People from Honesdale, Pennsylvania Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania Category:Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state) Category:20th-century American songwriters

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