C. Ernest Smith (July 12, 1894 – July 28, 1970) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York.

Life

Smith was born on July 12, 1894, in Stapleton, Staten Island. He graduated from

Curtis High School Curtis High School, operated by the New York City Department of Education, is one of seven public high schools located in Staten Island, New York City, New York. It was founded on February 9, 1904, the first high school on Staten Island. Hist ...

in 1913 and New York University School of Law in 1916. He then worked as a clerk for a large New York City law office. Shortly after passing the bar in 1917, he opened his own law office in New York City. In 1920, he moved his law office to

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. He enlisted in the judge advocate's office during World War I. In 1920, Smith was elected to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

as a Republican, representing New York's 24th State Senate district. He served in the State Senate in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

and

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

. In 1936, Smith was appointed Municipal Court Justice. In 1942, he was accused of committing graft and disbarment proceedings were brought up against him. He was later cleared of all charges. Smith was president of the Richmond County Bar Association, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Visitors of the Willowbrook State School. He was a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, the Elks, the

Order of United American Mechanics The Order of United American Mechanics was an anti-Catholic American Nativist organization of the mid-19th century. It was founded in Philadelphia amid the anti-alien riots of 1844-45. It originally was called the ''Union of Workers''. Members wer ...

, and

Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar A ...

. Smith died at Staten Island Hospital after a long illness on July 28, 1970.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' 1894 births 1970 deaths Politicians from Staten Island Lawyers from New York City Curtis High School alumni New York University School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges Municipal judges in the United States New York (state) state court judges 20th-century American legislators Republican Party New York (state) state senators American Freemasons 20th-century New York (state) politicians {{NewYork-NYSenate-stub