Howard Alexander Smith (January 30, 1880October 27, 1966) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a

United States Senator 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 powe ...

from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

from 1944 to 1959. He was the uncle of Peter H. Dominick, who was a Senator from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

(1963–1975).

Early life and education

H. Alexander Smith was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Abram Alexander and Sue Lehn (née Bender) Smith. His father was a physician and teacher. He attended the Cutler School in New York, and then enrolled at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. At Princeton, he studied jurisprudence, political science, and English common law under

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1901, and later received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1904. Smith married Helen Dominick, whom he met during his time at Columbia, in 1902; the couple had two daughters and a son. One daughter, Helen Smith Shoemaker, was an author, sculptor and church leader. She married renowned Anglican Priest

Sam Shoemaker Samuel Moor Shoemaker III DD, STD (December 27, 1893 – October 31, 1963) was a priest of the Episcopal Church. Samuel Shoemaker was considered one of the best preachers of his era, whose sermons were syndicated for distribution by tape an ...

in 1925.

Early career

In 1904, Smith was admitted to the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justic ...

and commenced his practice in New York City, working for the

Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil mat ...

. Due to poor health, he moved to

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where he continued to practice law until 1917. During

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 ...

, he worked for the

United States Food Administration The United States Food Administration (1917–1920) was an independent Federal agency that controlled the production, distribution and conservation of food in the U.S. during the nation's participation in World War I. It was established to preve ...

in Colorado and afterwards in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He moved to New Jersey in 1919, and served as executive secretary (assistant to the president) of Princeton University from 1920 to 1927. He then served as a lecturer in Princeton's department of politics (1927–1930), teaching international relations and foreign policy. While continuing to live in New Jersey, Smith resumed his practice of law in New York City. He became active in state politics, helping establish the New Jersey Republican Policy Council in 1933 and being appointed treasurer of the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...

in 1934. He was later elected chairman of the Republican State Committee, and served as a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

(1942–1943).

U.S. Senate

He was elected on November 7, 1944, as a

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 ...

to 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 ...

to fill the vacancy in the term ending January 3, 1947, caused by the death of W. Warren Barbour. He was reelected in 1946 and 1952 and served from December 7, 1944, to January 3, 1959. He served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (1953–1955), and co-authored the

Smith–Mundt Act The U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), popularly called the Smith–Mundt Act, was first introduced by Congressman Karl E. Mundt (R-SD) in January 1945 in the 79th Congress. It was subsequently passed by ...

to specify the terms in which the United States government can engage in public diplomacy. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1958, but served as a special consultant on foreign affairs to the

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

from 1959 to 1960. Smith voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Smith died in Princeton at age 86, and is buried in

Princeton Cemetery Princeton Cemetery is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abbey of the United Stat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Howard Alexander 1880 births 1966 deaths 20th-century American politicians Burials at Princeton Cemetery Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Columbia Law School alumni New Jersey Republicans Princeton University alumni Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey