Elmo Everett Smith (November 19, 1909July 15, 1968) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who served as the 27th Governor of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

from 1956 to 1957.

Early life

Smith was born in

Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making Grand Junction the 17th mo ...

on November 19, 1909. At the age of ten, his mother died, and at age thirteen, his father died, leaving young Elmo an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

. He was sent to live with his uncle on a ranch near

Wilder, Idaho Wilder is a city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,533 at the 2010 census. Wilder is part of the Boise City–Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Wilder was established in 1919, and was named fo ...

. He supported himself financially as he pursued an education at the

College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rh ...

in Caldwell. Smith received his B.A. in History in 1932, and moved to nearby

Ontario, Oregon Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 11,366 at the 2010 census. The city is the largest community in the region of far eastern Oregon, also k ...

, just across the Snake River from Idaho. In Ontario, Smith began a long and successful career in the newspaper business. The year he arrived in town, Smith managed the '' Ontario Argus'', and founded the ''Ontario Observer'' in 1936. As a newspaper owner and publisher, he began to gain stature in the community and entered politics. Voters in Ontario elected Smith mayor in 1940, and returned him to office for a second term in 1942. He resigned in 1943 in order to enlist in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Smith earned the rank of Lieutenant, serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He flew transport planes, and later commanded an air transport base in the South Pacific. He returned to civilian life at the war's 1945 conclusion. Upon returning to Ontario, its citizens returned Smith to the mayor's office. He continued to manage his newspaper holdings, purchasing the John Day ''Blue Mountain Eagle'', and gaining an interest in ''

The Madras Pioneer ''The Madras Pioneer'' is a weekly paper published Wednesday in Madras, Oregon, United States, since 1904. It is published on Wednesdays. It is the newspaper of record for Jefferson County. The paper was once owned by Oregon governor Elmo Smith, w ...

''; while selling off his Ontario papers. In 1948, voters in

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, Malheur, and Harney counties elected him to represent the region in the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

President of the Oregon State Senate

State Senator Smith would stand up to the influential trucking and powerful lumber industry lobbies to gain passage of an increase in the state highway tax. His support for transportation projects gained him the chairmanship on the Senate Roads and Highways Committee in 1952, and was elected President of the Senate in 1955.

Governorship

The unexpected death of Governor Paul L. Patterson on January 31, 1956 elevated Senate President Elmo Smith to fill out the remainder of the first half of his term. Upon assuming office, Smith found himself running the state and a campaign for the 1956 gubernatorial election. His administration successfully raised spending on Public Education, formed a commission on aging, and joined a tri-state water-power consortium. He managed the state's finances in a fiscally conservative manner. Governor Smith also helped create the Water Resources Board, the agency that today manages and regulates Oregon's water resources. While winning the Republican nomination for governor, Smith was defeated in his attempt to win the governorship in his own right, to complete the last 2 years of Patterson's term. Robert D. Holmes, his Democratic challenger, managed to win a narrow victory in the 1956 gubernatorial race.

Later life

After leaving Salem, Smith concentrated on his newspaper empire, purchasing several weekly newspapers and the ''

Albany Democrat-Herald The ''Albany Democrat-Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Albany, Oregon, United States. The paper is owned by the Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, a firm which also owns the daily ''Corvallis Gazette-Times,'' published in the adjacent market of ...

'', his largest acquisition. He ended up moving to Albany to better manage the ''Democrat-Herald''. Smith returned to politics in a bid for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat opened by the death of Richard Neuberger in 1960. Smith lost this race to Maurine Neuberger, the Senator's widow. A run for National Chairman for the Republican Party failed in 1964. His last attempt at elected office, the chairmanship of the Oregon State Republican Party was successful.

Death and legacy

Smith died of cancer on July 15, 1968 in Albany, aged 58, and is buried in the Willamette Memorial Park Mausoleum. Smith's son, Dennis Alan "Denny" Smith, represented Oregon in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

from 1981 to 1991 and was the

nominee for Governor of Oregon in 1994.

References

External links

Oregon State Archives: Smith Administration
– Photo, bio, records, and some public speeches of Governor Smith. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Elmo 1909 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Navy personnel of World War II American newspaper publishers (people) College of Idaho alumni Deaths from cancer in Oregon Republican Party governors of Oregon Mayors of places in Oregon People from Albany, Oregon People from Grand Junction, Colorado People from Ontario, Oregon People from Wilder, Idaho Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Republican Party Oregon state senators Oregon Republican Party chairs United States Navy officers Military personnel from Oregon Military personnel from Colorado