James Vernon Smith
Administrator of theFarmers Home Administration
In office 1969–1973
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma's6th district
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1969
Preceded by	Jed Johnson, Jr.
Succeeded by	John Newbold Camp
Personal details
Born	July 23, 1926 (1926-07-23) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Died	June 23, 1973 (1973-06-24) (aged 46) Grady County, Oklahoma
Citizenship	United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Belle Couch Smith
Children	3
Alma mater	Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts
Profession	Congressman

James Vernon Smith (July 23, 1926 – June 23, 1973) was an American politician and aU.S. Representative fromOklahoma.

Born inOklahoma City, Oklahoma, Smith was the son of Fred O. and Josephine Meder Smith, and was educated inTuttlepublic schools and attendedOklahoma College of Liberal Arts atChickasha, Oklahoma. He married Mary Belle Couch, and the couple had three children, Jay, Sarah, and Lee Ann.^[1]

Smith engaged in farming and cattle raising, and served as member of the board of regents of Oklahoma Four-Year Colleges.

Elected as aRepublican to the90th Congress, Smith served from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1969.^[2] Smith voted against theCivil Rights Act of 1968.^[3] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1968. After a 1967 redistricting plan forced him into running against either fellow RepublicanHappy Camp or DemocratTom Steed, he chose to take on Steed, a conservative Democrat from Shawnee who had nearly been defeated in 1966. Smith was defeated by a 54% to 46% tally despite the fact that Nixon won a plurality in the newly drawn district.

Nominated byPresident Nixon to be Administrator of Farmers Home Administration and confirmed by theSenate on March 16, 1969, Smith served until his resignation in 1973.^[4]

Smith died in a wheat field fire at his farm, near Chickasha, Grady County, Oklahoma, on June 23, 1973 (age 46 years, 335 days). He isinterred at Fairlawn Cemetery, Chickasha, Oklahoma.^[5]

• United States Congress."James Vernon Smith (id: S000560)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• James Vernon Smith atFind a Grave

• 1926 births
• 1973 deaths
• Politicians from Oklahoma City
• People from Chickasha, Oklahoma
• Farmers from Oklahoma
• Accidental deaths in Oklahoma
• Deaths from fire in the United States
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma
• People from Tuttle, Oklahoma
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma alumni
• Lawyers from Oklahoma City
• Businesspeople from Oklahoma City
• United States Department of Agriculture officials
• 20th-century American lawyers
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

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