Wint Smith | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Carlson |
| Succeeded by | Bob Dole |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1892-10-07)October 7, 1892 |
| Died | April 27, 1976(1976-04-27) (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Mount Hope Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
Wint Smith (October 7, 1892 – April 27, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician who served seven terms as aU.S. Representative fromKansas from 1947 to 1961.
Born inMankato, Kansas, Smith attended a public school and graduated from Mankato High School. He attended theUniversity of Kansas in 1920 and theYale Law School in 1922. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1923 and commenced practice inKansas City, Kansas. He was admitted to practice in all federal courts, including theUnited States Supreme Court in 1934. From 1931 to 1940 he served as assistant attorney general and he was attorney for the Kansas Highway Commission from 1932 to 1940.
In 1933, theKansas Legislature authorized the Highway Commission to hire 10 motor vehicle inspectors, increasing this number to 26 by November 1933. The legislation authorizing these inspectors charged them with the duty to patrol state highways as much as possible. In 1935, GovernorAlfred Landon issued orders to the inspectors to "curb banditry" as far as the law would permit. With Landon's support, and statewide police jurisdiction, the inspectors' war on crime began.
Wint Smith, as chief of the legal department of the Highway Commission, served as director of the motor vehicle inspectors until the formation of theKansas Highway Patrol in 1937. Smith was elected as aRepublican to the80th United States Congress and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1961). Smith voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957 and1960.[1][2]
On 1 January 1915, Smith enlisted in the Kansas National Guard. From 26 June to 30 August 1916, he was in federal service during thePancho Villa Expedition. After U.S. entry intoWorld War I, Smith attended the First Officers Training Camp from 11 May to 14 August 1917, being commissioned as a second lieutenant on 15 August. He earned twoPurple Hearts while serving in France, rising to the rank of captain in the Infantry before his discharge on 4 September 1919.
On 10 March 1923, he was commissioned a captain in the Signal Corps, commanding the 35th Signal Company of the35th Division, headquartered inKansas City, Kansas.[3] On 1 July 1933, he was commissioned amajor in the Infantry. On 30 July 1935, he was commissioned alieutenant colonel in the Cavalry, serving as executive officer of the 114th Cavalry Regiment.[4] When the 114th Cavalry was converted into the 127th Field Artillery Regiment of the 35th Division in October 1940, Smith became executive officer of the regiment.
Smith was inducted into federal service with the 35th Division in December 1940. From May 1941 to December 1945, he served as the commanding officer of the 35th Division's provisional antitank battalion, later designated the635th Tank Destroyer Battalion. As the unit's sole commanding officer from activation to inactivation, Smith served in the United States, and for twenty-two months overseas inEngland,France,Belgium, andGermany. When he retired, he was promoted tobrigadier general. He later resumed the practicing of law.
Smith was not a candidate for renomination in 1960 to theEighty-seventh Congress and was succeeded by fellow RepublicanRobert J. Dole ofRussell. He subsequently returned to his home in Mankato and engaged in farming and ranching. He died inWichita, Kansas, April 27, 1976.
He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery, in Mankato.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's 6th congressional district 1947–1961 | Succeeded by |
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This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
