John W. Smith (April 12, 1882 – June 17, 1942) was a long-time member of the

Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a location ...

and was twice

mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

, Michigan.

Early life

John W. Smith was born in Detroit on April 12, 1882, the son of John W. and Gertrude Wax Smith. His father died when Smith was five years old, leaving the family poor. He began working as a newsboy when he was six years old. He quit school in the fifth grade, and worked as a pin-setter in a bowling alley and a newsboy, furthering his education on his own at the library. He started boxing at a young age, then joined the army at the age of fifteen to fight in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, staying on to fight in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

for some time. On his return to Detroit in 1901, Smith attended the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

for a year, simultaneously becoming a journeyman pipefitter. He next joined the Detroit Shipbuilding Company as a

pipefitter A pipefitter or steamfitter is a tradesman who installs, assembles, fabricates, maintains, and repairs mechanical piping systems. Pipefitters usually begin as helpers or apprentices. Journeyman pipefitters deal with industrial/commercial/marine ...

. Smith married Marie General; the couple had two children: Dorothy and John W., Jr.

Politics

Smith became active in

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 ...

politics in 1908, and in 1911 was appointed Deputy State Labor Commissioner by Governor Chase S. Osborn. Two years later he became a deputy at the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. He also served as a deputy US Marshall and deputy county clerk. He was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1920, and was appointed postmaster of Detroit by

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

in 1922. In 1924, Smith won election as Detroit mayor after Frank Ellsworth Doremus's resignation, continuing in the office until 1928. Smith later served on the

for most of the time from 1932 until his death in 1942. He served one more time as mayor in 1933, acting to fill out the end of

Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...

's term, after the latter had resigned and his successor,

Frank Couzens Frank Couzens (February 28, 1902 – October 31, 1950) was the son of United States Senator James J. Couzens, and mayor of Detroit, Michigan during the 1930s. Early life Frank Couzens was born in Detroit on February 28, 1902, the son of bus ...

, also resigned to concentrate on running for election as mayor. Smith ran for mayor off-and-on, including in 1930 and 1936, and for governor in 1934, but was not elected. John W. Smith died on June 17, 1942.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John W. 1882 births 1942 deaths Republican Party Michigan state senators Mayors of Detroit Detroit City Council members University of Detroit Mercy alumni Military personnel from Detroit 20th-century American legislators