Elmo Smith

Elmo Everett Smith (born November 19, 1909 in Grand Junction , Colorado , † July 15, 1968 in Albany , Oregon ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1956 to 1957 the 27th governor of the state of Oregon.

Early years and political advancement

Elmo Smith was orphaned after the death of his parents at the age of eleven and was raised by an uncle on his ranch near Wilder , Idaho . Smith then attended the College of Idaho , where he received a degree in history in 1932. Then he moved to Ontario, Oregon. There he bought a newspaper, which he also published himself. He was twice elected mayor of his community. During his second term, he resigned to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II . There he was deployed in the Pacific as a pilot of transport aircraft. He later ran a transport airport.

After the end of the war, Smith was again mayor of Ontario. At the same time he continued to work in the newspaper business. Since 1948 he was also a member of the Oregon Senate . There he finally made it to the President of the House. In this capacity he had to take over constitutionally after the death of Governor Paul L. Patterson on January 31, 1956 his office.

Governor of Oregon

On February 1, 1956, Smith was sworn in as the new governor. During his short term in office, he pursued a conservative and economical budget policy. Nevertheless, he improved the education policy and joined a consortium with some neighboring countries for the use of hydropower. For the constitutionally necessary gubernatorial elections in 1956, Smith was nominated by his party. In the elections, however, he was defeated by the Democrat Robert D. Holmes , who was thus elected as the new governor. Elmo Smith was forced to resign on January 14, 1957.

After the end of his governorship, Smith returned to the newspaper business. He bought several more sheets. As a result, he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . Equally unsuccessful in 1964 was his candidacy for chairmanship of the Republican National Committee . Elmo Smith died in 1968. He was married to Dorothy Leininger, with whom he had two children, including son Denny , who represented Oregon in the US House of Representatives from 1981 to 1991 .

Web links

• Elmo Smith in nndb (English)
• Elmo Smith at the National Governors Association (English)
• Oregon State Library ( Memento November 25, 2004 on the Internet Archive )
• Elmo Smith in the database of Find a Grave (English)