James Vernon Smith (July 23, 1926 – June 23, 1973) was an American politician and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Biography

Born in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, Smith was the son of Fred O. and Josephine Meder Smith, and was educated in

Tuttle Tuttle may refer to: Places Canada * Tuttle, Alberta United States * Tuttle, Arkansas * Tuttle, California * Tuttle, Colorado * Tuttle, Oklahoma * Tuttle, North Dakota Other uses * "Tuttle" (''M*A*S*H''), a 1973 episode from the television ser ...

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s and attended Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts at

Chickasha, Oklahoma Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,036 at the 2010 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The city is named for and strongly connecte ...

. He married Mary Belle Couch, and the couple had three children, Jay, Sarah, and Lee Ann.

Career

Smith engaged in farming and cattle raising, and served as member of the board of regents of Oklahoma Four-Year Colleges. Elected 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 90th Congress, Smith served from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1969. Smith voted against of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1968. After a 1967 redistricting plan forced him into running against either fellow Republican Happy Camp or Democrat

Tom Steed Thomas Jefferson Steed (March 2, 1904 – June 8, 1983) was an American politician and a U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma. Early life Steed was born on a farm near in Eastland County, Texas (near Rising Star, Texas) on March 2, 1904. His family ...

, he chose to take on Steed, a conservative Democrat from Shawnee who had nearly been defeated in 1966. Smith was defeated by a 54% to 46% tally despite the fact that Nixon won a plurality in the newly drawn district. Nominated by

President Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

to be Administrator of Farmers Home Administration and confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on March 16, 1969, Smith served until his resignation in 1973.

Death

Smith died in a wheat field fire at his farm, near Chickasha, Grady County, Oklahoma, on June 23, 1973 (age 46 years, 335 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Fairlawn Cemetery, Chickasha, Oklahoma.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James Vernon 1926 births 1973 deaths Politicians from Oklahoma City People from Chickasha, Oklahoma Farmers from Oklahoma Accidental deaths in Oklahoma Deaths from fire in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma People from Tuttle, Oklahoma 20th-century American businesspeople University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma alumni 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Oklahoma City Businesspeople from Oklahoma City United States Department of Agriculture officials 20th-century American lawyers