Willis Smith: Difference between revisions

Willis Smith
Willis Smith
United States Senator; from North Carolina
	In office; November 27, 1950 – June 26, 1953
Preceded by	Frank P. Graham
Succeeded by	Alton Lennon
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
	In office; 1927-1932
Personal details
Born	December 19, 1887; Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Died	June 26, 1953 (aged 65); Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Resting place	Historic Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Trinity College
Profession	Law

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Willis Smith (December 19, 1887 – June 26, 1953) was an American attorney and Democratic U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina between 1950 and 1953.

Early life and education

Born in Norfolk Virginia, he moved to North Carolina before age 2. After graduating from Trinity College (now the undergraduate liberal arts college of Duke University) in 1910 and Duke University Law School in 1912, he became a practicing attorney—but interrupted his work to serve in the United States Army during World War I. In 1912, he founded the law firm that eventually became known as Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan (informally "Smith Anderson").^[1]

Political career

Smith served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1927 to 1932, and was briefly the speaker of that body in 1931.^[2] He also served as a U.S. observer at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946, as chairman of the American delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bern, Switzerland in 1952, as chairman of the Duke University board of trustees (1947 - 1953), and as president of the American Bar Association (1945-1946).^[3]

In the Democratic primary of 1950, Smith defeated incumbent Sen. Frank Porter Graham for the nomination. Graham had been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of J. Melville Broughton and had served only a little over a year at the time of his defeat. In a campaign distinguished by race-baiting,^[4] Graham, who was well known for his civil rights sympathies, was supported by President Harry Truman and the state's liberal Democratic faction, while Smith was aided by strategist Jesse Helms.

Smith's service in the Senate was brief and unremarkable.^{[according to whom?]}

Death

He died due to coronary thrombosis in 1953 in Bethesda, Maryland^[5] and was interred at the Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Campaign flyer for Willis Smith for Senate in the 1950 US Senate race in North Carolina.

References

^ "Smith Anderson: A History of Excellence". Smithlaw.com. 2008-04-26. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
^ "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Bioguide.congress.gov. 1953-06-26. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
^ "NORTH CAROLINA: Next in Line". Time. 1950-05-15. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
^ "The 1950 Senate campaign - North Carolina Digital History". Learnnc.org. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
^ Senator Willis Smith Dies after Three-Day Illness; Burlington Daily Times; Burlington, North Carolina; Page 1; June 26, 1953

Party political offices
Preceded by J. Melville Broughton	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from North Carolina (Class 2) 1950	Succeeded by W. Kerr Scott
Preceded by Alexander H. Graham	Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives 1931	Succeeded by Reginald L. Harris
U.S. Senate
Preceded by Frank Porter Graham	U.S. senator (Class 2) from North Carolina 1950–1953 Served alongside: Clyde Roark Hoey	Succeeded by Alton Asa Lennon

[1] "Smith Anderson: A History of Excellence". Smithlaw.com. 2008-04-26. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-12-07.

[2] "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Bioguide.congress.gov. 1953-06-26. Retrieved 2012-12-07.

[3] "NORTH CAROLINA: Next in Line". Time. 1950-05-15. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-07.

[4] "The 1950 Senate campaign - North Carolina Digital History". Learnnc.org. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-12-07.

[5] Senator Willis Smith Dies after Three-Day Illness; Burlington Daily Times; Burlington, North Carolina; Page 1; June 26, 1953

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American politician (1887–1953)}}
-{{Infobox Senator
+{{Infobox officeholder
 |name        = Willis Smith
 |image       = Willissmith.JPG
 |imagesize   = 171px
 |alt         =
-|jr/sr       =  <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by appending 2, 3, etc-->  This code has been disabled per Template talk:Infobox Officeholder.
+|jr/sr1      =  <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by appending 2, 3, etc-->  This code has been disabled per Template talk:Infobox Officeholder.
-|state       =  [[North Carolina]]
+|state1      =  [[North Carolina]]
-|term_start  =  November 27, 1950
+|term_start1 =  November 27, 1950
-|term_end    =  June 26, 1953
+|term_end1   =  June 26, 1953
-|predecessor =  [[Frank Porter Graham|Frank P. Graham]]
+|predecessor1=  [[Frank Porter Graham|Frank P. Graham]]
-|successor   =  [[Alton Lennon]]
+|successor1  =  [[Alton Lennon]]
+|office2     =  Member of the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]]
+|term2       =  1927-1932
 |birth_date   = {{birth date|1887|12|19}}
-|birth_place  = [[Norfolk, Virginia]]
+|birth_place  = [[Norfolk, Virginia]], U.S.
 |death_date   = {{death date and age|1953|6|26|1887|12|19}}
-|death_place  = [[Bethesda, Maryland]]
+|death_place  = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.
 |restingplace = [[Historic Oakwood Cemetery]], [[Raleigh, North Carolina]]
 |restingplacecoordinates =
@@ Line 29: / Line 32: @@
 |committees   =
 |portfolio    =
-|religion     = [[Methodism]]
 |signature    =
 |signature_alt=
@@ Line 36: / Line 38: @@
 }}
-'''Willis Smith''' (December 19, 1887{{spaced ndash}}June 26, 1953) was a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from the state of [[North Carolina]] between 1950 and 1953.
+'''Willis Smith''' (December 19, 1887{{spaced ndash}}June 26, 1953) was an American attorney and [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from the state of [[North Carolina]] between 1950 and 1953.
 ==Early life and education==
-Born in Norfolk Virginia, he moved to North Carolina before age 2. After graduating from Trinity College (now the undergraduate liberal arts college of [[Duke University]]) in 1910 and [[Duke University Law School]] in 1912, he became a practicing attorney—but interrupted his work to serve in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War I]]. In 1912, he founded the law firm that eventually became known as Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan (informally "Smith Anderson").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smithlaw.com/sap.cfm?pn=olf&spn=fhfsheet |title=Smith Anderson: A History of Excellence |publisher=Smithlaw.com |date=2008-04-26 |accessdate=2012-12-07}}</ref>
+Born in Norfolk Virginia, he moved to North Carolina before age 2. After graduating from Trinity College (now the undergraduate liberal arts college of [[Duke University]]) in 1910 and [[Duke University Law School]] in 1912, he became a practicing attorney—but interrupted his work to serve in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War I]]. In 1912, he founded the law firm that eventually became known as Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan (informally "Smith Anderson").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smithlaw.com/sap.cfm?pn=olf&spn=fhfsheet |title=Smith Anderson: A History of Excellence |publisher=Smithlaw.com |date=2008-04-26 |access-date=2012-12-07 |archive-date=2012-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302012941/http://www.smithlaw.com/sap.cfm?pn=olf&spn=fhfsheet |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-Each year, Duke University Law School awards the "Willis Smith Award" to the graduating law student with the highest academic average in the class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.law.duke.edu%2Falumni%2Fnews%2Fclassnotes&date=2008-03-12 |title=Duke Law Class Notes |publisher=Webcitation.org |date= |accessdate=2012-12-07}}</ref>
 ==Political career==
-Smith served in the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]] from 1928 to 1932, and was briefly the [[Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives|speaker]] of that body in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000639 |title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |date=1953-06-26 |accessdate=2012-12-07}}</ref>  He also served as a U.S. observer at the [[Nuremberg Trials]] in 1946, as chairman of the American delegation to the [[Inter-Parliamentary Union]] in Bern, Switzerland in 1952, as chairman of the [[Duke University]] board of trustees (1947 - 1953), and as [[List of Presidents of the American Bar Association|president]] of the [[American Bar Association]] (1945-1946).<ref>{{cite web|author=iPad iPhone Android TIME TV Populist The Page |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,820563-1,00.html |title=Time Magazine, May 15, 1950 |publisher=Time.com |date=1950-05-15 |accessdate=2012-12-07}}</ref>
+Smith served in the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]] from 1927 to 1932, and was briefly the [[Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives|speaker]] of that body in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000639 |title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |date=1953-06-26 |access-date=2012-12-07}}</ref>  He also served as a U.S. observer at the [[Nuremberg Trials]] in 1946, as chairman of the American delegation to the [[Inter-Parliamentary Union]] in Bern, Switzerland in 1952, as chairman of the [[Duke University]] board of trustees (1947 - 1953), and as [[List of Presidents of the American Bar Association|president]] of the [[American Bar Association]] (1945-1946).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,820563-1,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105102133/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,820563-1,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |title=NORTH CAROLINA: Next in Line|magazine=Time |date=1950-05-15 |access-date=2012-12-07}}</ref>
-In the Democratic primary of 1950, Smith defeated incumbent Sen. [[Frank Porter Graham]] for the nomination. Graham had been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of [[J. Melville Broughton]] and had served only a little over a year at the time of his defeat. In a campaign distinguished by race-baiting,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-postwar/6103 |title=The 1950 Senate campaign - North Carolina Digital History |publisher=Learnnc.org |date=1999-02-22 |accessdate=2012-12-07}}</ref> Graham, who was well known for his antiracist sympathies, was supported by President [[Harry Truman]] and the state's liberal Democratic faction, while Smith was aided by a young strategist named [[Jesse Helms]].
+In the Democratic primary of 1950, Smith defeated incumbent Sen. [[Frank Porter Graham]] for the nomination. Graham had been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of [[J. Melville Broughton]] and had served only a little over a year at the time of his defeat. In a campaign distinguished by race-baiting,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-postwar/6103 |title=The 1950 Senate campaign - North Carolina Digital History |publisher=Learnnc.org |date=1999-02-22 |access-date=2012-12-07}}</ref> Graham, who was well known for his civil rights sympathies, was supported by President [[Harry Truman]] and the state's liberal Democratic faction, while Smith was aided by strategist [[Jesse Helms]].
-Smith's service in the Senate was brief and unremarkable. He died suddenly in 1953 in Bethesda, Maryland and was interred at the [[Historic Oakwood Cemetery]] in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]].
+Smith's service in the Senate was brief and unremarkable.{{according to whom|date=December 2023}}
+== Death ==
+He died due to [[coronary thrombosis]] in 1953 in Bethesda, Maryland<ref>Senator Willis Smith Dies after Three-Day Illness; Burlington Daily Times; Burlington, North Carolina; Page 1; June 26, 1953</ref> and was interred at the [[Historic Oakwood Cemetery]] in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]].
 <gallery>
 File:Campaign flyer for Willis Smith for Senate in the 1950 US Senate race in North Carolina.jpg|Campaign [[Flyer (pamphlet)|flyer]] for Willis Smith for Senate in the 1950 US Senate race in North Carolina.
 </gallery>
+==See also==
+* [[List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 58: / Line 64: @@
 {{s-start}}
+{{s-ppo}}
+{{s-bef|before=[[J. Melville Broughton]]}}
+{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[North Carolina]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 2]])|years=[[1950 United States Senate special election in North Carolina|1950]]}}
+{{s-aft|after=[[W. Kerr Scott]]}}
 {{succession box|
   title=[[Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives]]|
@@ Line 76: / Line 86: @@
 {{USSenNC}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              =Smith, Willis
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
-| DATE OF BIRTH     =December 19, 1887
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    =[[Norfolk, Virginia]]
-| DATE OF DEATH     =June 26, 1953
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =[[Bethesda, Maryland]]
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Willis}}
-[[Category:United States Senators from North Carolina]]
+[[Category:Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives]]
-[[Category:Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives]]
+[[Category:Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives]]
-[[Category:Duke University alumni]]
+[[Category:Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
+[[Category:Duke University School of Law alumni]]
 [[Category:North Carolina lawyers]]
 [[Category:1887 births]]
 [[Category:1953 deaths]]
 [[Category:Burials at Historic Oakwood Cemetery]]
-[[Category:Democratic Party United States Senators]]
+[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina]]
-[[Category:North Carolina Democrats]]
+[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
+[[Category:20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly]]

v t e United States senators from North Carolina
Class 2	Johnston Martin Franklin Turner Stokes Branch Brown Mangum Reid Bragg Abbott Ransom Butler Simmons Bailey Umstead Broughton F. P. Graham Smith Lennon Scott Jordan Helms Dole Hagan Tillis
Class 3	Hawkins Bloodworth Stone Franklin Stone Locke Macon Iredell Mangum Strange W. A. Graham Haywood Badger Biggs Clingman Pool Merrimon Vance Jarvis Pritchard Overman Morrison Reynolds Hoey Ervin Morgan East Broyhill Sanford Faircloth Edwards Burr Budd

Authority control databases
International	VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States
People	US Congress
Other	SNAC