Dr. Bob Smith: From Vermont to the Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous

Robert Holbrook Smith — known to A.A. members worldwide as “Dr. Bob” — was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont in 1879 and became one of the two co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. His story, his Vermont origins, and the Biblical training of his youth are essential to understanding the Christian foundations of A.A. Dick B. dedicated multiple volumes of research to documenting Dr. Bob’s life and his role in the Akron Genesis of A.A.

Dr. Bob’s Vermont and Biblical Background

Robert Smith grew up in a devout Christian home in Vermont. His father was a judge; his family was active in the Congregational Church. Dr. Bob received extensive Biblical training from his youth — a foundation that, after decades of alcoholism and recovery, would become the core of the program he and Bill Wilson developed in Akron, Ohio.

Dick B. devoted an entire volume to this topic: Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book as a Youngster in Vermont — one of the 31 volumes in the Reference Set.

The Akron Genesis of A.A. — June 10, 1935

A.A.’s founding date is June 10, 1935 — the day Dr. Bob took his last drink in Akron, Ohio. The first A.A. meetings were held in the homes of T. Henry and Clarace Williams in Akron, where the Oxford Group met. These meetings were explicitly Christian: they opened with prayer, used the Bible, and produced remarkable recovery results. Dr. Bob’s last major address — Detroit, December 1948 — affirmed that the Twelve Steps grew directly from “our study of the Good Book.”

Dick B.’s Research on Dr. Bob

Dick B.’s research includes multiple volumes directly focused on Dr. Bob and Akron A.A.: the Akron Genesis of A.A., Dr. Bob’s library and reading, the role of the Good Book and the Big Book, and Henrietta Seiberling’s role in early Akron A.A. These volumes are included in the 31-volume Reference Set.

→ View the complete 31-volume Reference Set