Ezekiel Ezra Smith was born on May 23, 1852, in Faison, North Carolina. A Shaw University graduate, Smith was a lifelong educator. In 1883, he became head of the Fayetteville State Normal School (now Fayetteville State University). He was additionally a member of the national guard and a Baptist minister. Smith died in Fayetteville, North Carolina on December 6, 1933.