Claude Smith was an American politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 7th Arizona State Legislature, holding one of the two seats from Pima County. He was a veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and served as county attorney in Pima County.

Biography

Smith was born on March 26, 1891, in Caddo, Oklahoma. After graduating from the public schools in Oklahoma, Smith attended

Washington & Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. Established in 1749 as the Augusta Academy, the university is among the Colonial col ...

, where he graduated with a LL.B. in law in 1913. After graduating from Washington & Lee, he did postgraduate work at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, studying constitutional law under

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. Following Yale, he returned to Oklahoma, passed the bar, and served as U. S. probate attorney. At the outbreak of the U. S. entrance into

, Smith enlisted in the

U. S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as private. By the time of his discharge in 1919, he had risen to the rank of N. C. O. When he returned to Oklahoma after the war, he went back to the position of probate attorney. In 1920, he developed

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and moved to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

for his health. He recuperated for two years before returning to practice law. Smith was very active in both

The Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, as well as the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

, and the

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

. In 1924 he ran uncontested for one of two seats to the Arizona State Senate from Pima County in the Democrat's primary. He and his fellow Democrat, T. W. Donnelly defeated their lone Republican opponent, John E. Van Buskirk, in the general election in November. He did not run for re-election in 1926. In November 1928, he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Louis R. Kempf as Pima County Attorney. Smith was selected over Fred Fickett. In 1930 he did not run for re-election for the attorney position, instead choosing to run against Fickett, the incumbent, for Judge of the Superior Court. Fickett was re-elected. Smith died on September 20, 1931, from a

hemorrhage Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, vag ...

in the Veteran's hospital in Tucson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Claude Democratic Party Arizona state senators 20th-century Arizona politicians 20th-century American legislators 1891 births 1931 deaths People from Bryan County, Oklahoma People from Pima County, Arizona