Clyde Smith
Encyclopedia
Clyde Harold Smith was a United States Representative from Maine
.
Born on a farm near Harmony, Maine
, he moved with his parents to Hartland, Maine in 1891. He attended the rural schools and Hartland Academy, and taught school. Smith served in the Maine House of Representatives
from 1899 to 1903 and from 1919 to 1923; he engaged in the retail clothing and hardware business in 1901, and was Hartland's superintendent of schools from 1903 to 1906.
From 1904 to 1907, he was a member of the Hartland board of selectmen, and moved to Skowhegan, Maine
, having been elected sheriff
of Somerset County
, serving from 1905 to 1909. He engaged in the retail sale of automobiles and the hardware and plumbing business, as well as the newspaper publishing business in Skowhegan. He later engaged in banking and real estate. From 1914 to 1932, he was a member of the Skowhegan board of selectmen, and served in the Maine State Senate from 1923 to 1929 where he was an ardent opponent of the Ku Klux Klan
that was at the time in its ascendency; he was chairman of the State highway commission from 1928 to 1932, and was a member of the Governor's council from 1933 to 1937.
Smith was elected as a Republican
to the Seventy-fifth and Seventy-sixth Congresses, serving from January 3, 1937 until his death, in Washington, D.C.
, in April 1940. He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery, Hartland, Maine.
Smith's wife, Margaret Chase Smith
, was elected to fill the vacancy caused by his death and later went on to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
Born on a farm near Harmony, Maine
Harmony, Maine
Harmony is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 954 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, he moved with his parents to Hartland, Maine in 1891. He attended the rural schools and Hartland Academy, and taught school. Smith served in the Maine House of Representatives
Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...
from 1899 to 1903 and from 1919 to 1923; he engaged in the retail clothing and hardware business in 1901, and was Hartland's superintendent of schools from 1903 to 1906.
From 1904 to 1907, he was a member of the Hartland board of selectmen, and moved to Skowhegan, Maine
Skowhegan, Maine
Skowhegan is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 8,824. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuous state fair in the United States...
, having been elected sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Somerset County
Somerset County, Maine
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 52,228. Its county seat is Skowhegan.-History:...
, serving from 1905 to 1909. He engaged in the retail sale of automobiles and the hardware and plumbing business, as well as the newspaper publishing business in Skowhegan. He later engaged in banking and real estate. From 1914 to 1932, he was a member of the Skowhegan board of selectmen, and served in the Maine State Senate from 1923 to 1929 where he was an ardent opponent of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
that was at the time in its ascendency; he was chairman of the State highway commission from 1928 to 1932, and was a member of the Governor's council from 1933 to 1937.
Smith was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the Seventy-fifth and Seventy-sixth Congresses, serving from January 3, 1937 until his death, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in April 1940. He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery, Hartland, Maine.
Smith's wife, Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. She was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate, and the first woman from Maine to serve in either. She was also the first woman to have her name...
, was elected to fill the vacancy caused by his death and later went on to serve in the U.S. Senate.