Michael Hoke Smith (September 2, 1855November 27, 1931) was an American attorney, politician, and
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
owner who served as
United States secretary of the interior
The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...
(1893–1896),
58th governor of Georgia (1907–1909, 1911), and a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
(1911–1920) from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. He was a leader of the
progressive movement
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...
in the South. He was a leader in the successful campaign to disenfranchise African American voters in 1907.
Biography
Early years and education
Smith was born in
Newton, North Carolina
Newton is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,968. It is the county seat of Catawba County. Newton is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...
, on September 2, 1855, to Hildreth H. Smith, president of
Catawba College
Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...
, and Mary Brent Hoke.
When Smith was 2 years old, his father accepted a position on the faculty of the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
, and moved the family to
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
* Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
. Smith attended
Pleasant Retreat Academy
Pleasant Retreat Academy, also known as The Confederate Memorial Hall, is a historic building located at 129 East Pine Street, Lincolnton, North Carolina.
History
Pleasant Retreat Academy was built between 1817 and 1820, and is a two-story bri ...
and was primarily educated by his father. Smith was too young to participate in the Civil War, but his uncle, Confederate General
Robert Hoke
Robert Frederick Hoke (May 27, 1837 – July 3, 1912) was a Confederate major general during the American Civil War. He was present at one of the earliest battles, the Battle of Big Bethel, where he was commended for coolness and judgment. Wo ...
, fought in the war. In 1868, when the elder Smith lost his position at the University, he moved the family to
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, the city that would remain the younger Smith's home for the rest of his life.
Smith did not attend law school, but
read for the law in association with an Atlanta law firm. He passed the
bar examination
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...
in 1873, at age seventeen, and became a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
in Atlanta.
Law practice
Smith maintained a small office in the James building downtown. His practice began to grow when he began to argue injury suits.
As his practice grew, he brought in his brother Burton in 1882, also excellent in front of juries, and they worked together for over 10 years. Their main clients were the many
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
workers injured on the job; three-quarters of the cases they took involved personal injury and they won the bulk of them.
Political service
Smith served as chairman of the
Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
*Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton
*Fulton County, Georgia
*F ...
and State Democratic Conventions and was president of the Atlanta Board of Education. In 1887, Smith bought the ''
Atlanta Journal
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
''. His strong support in the ''Journal'' for
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
during the
1892 Presidential election
The following elections occurred in the year 1892.
{{TOC right
Asia Japan
* 1892 Japanese general election
Europe Denmark
* 1892 Danish Folketing election
Portugal
* 1892 Portuguese legislative election
United Kingdom
* 1892 Chelmsford by-el ...
garnered Cleveland's attention and led to a federal job.
Smith was appointed as
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to:
* Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)
* Interior Secretary of Pakistan
* Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines)
* United States Secretary of the Interior
See also
*Interior ministry ...
by Cleveland in 1893. He worked hard to right
land patent
A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...
s previously obtained by the railroads, for rationalization of Indian affairs and for the economic development of the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
. A staunch defender of Cleveland and his
sound money
In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and r ...
policy, Smith campaigned throughout the country in 1896 for Cleveland candidates. When
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...
was selected at the
1896 Democratic National Convention
The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election.
At age 36, B ...
, Smith was in a quandary: could he support the party without supporting the platform? The overwhelming support for silver and Bryan in his home state of Georgia convinced him to try to have it both ways. His newspaper, the ''Journal'', endorsed the candidate but continued to denounce the silver policy. Smith resigned his cabinet post to protect Cleveland.
Smith returned to Atlanta and resumed his lucrative law practice netting around $25,000 per year and slowly rebuilt his local reputation. In April 1900 he sold his interests in the ''Journal'' and tried many other investments but the only ones that did well were real estate in the Atlanta area. He was instrumental in organizing the North Avenue Presbyterian Church (which still stands) and was re-elected to the
Atlanta Board of Education
The Atlanta Board of Education is the governing body of Atlanta Public Schools. The board has nine members: six are elected by geographical districts and three are elected citywide. All serve four-year terms.
While the board establishes and approv ...
.
Smith allied himself with Bryan's Vice Presidential candidate,
Populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
Tom Watson, one of Georgia's most influential politicians. With Watson's support, he embraced Black disfranchisement calling the races "different, radically different" and supporting separate taxes for Black and white schools calling it "folly to spend the money of white men to give negroes a book education." Watson's support helped Smith win the governorship in 1906. Smith's demagogic diatribes on behalf of
white supremacy
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
in the election are considered a primary cause of the
1906 Atlanta Race Riot
Violent attacks by armed mobs of White Americans against African Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, began on the evening of September 22, 1906, and lasted through September 24, 1906. The events were reported by newspapers around the world, includi ...
. As governor Smith promoted several
Jim Crow law
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...
s in a constitutional amendment that required either a literacy test or property ownership for voting, and then adding a
grandfather clause
A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...
exemption for poor whites. This constitutional amendment effectively disenfranchised black Georgians. Smith also supported railroad reform and election reform. After losing the support of Watson, he was defeated in the next election by
Joseph M. Brown. Smith was re-elected as governor in 1911.
In 1911 while still governor, he was chosen by the Georgia General Assembly to fill out the term of United States Senator
Alexander S. Clay
Alexander Stephens Clay (September 25, 1853November 13, 1910) was a United States senator from Georgia.
Biography
Clay was born in Powder Springs, Georgia, and graduated from Hiwassee College in Tennessee in 1875. He was admitted to the bar ...
. Smith won re-election in 1914, but was defeated by Tom Watson in 1920. Afterward, Smith practiced law in
Washington, DC
)
, 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 ...
, and Atlanta.
Death and legacy
Michael Hoke Smith died in 1931 and is buried in
Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, the last surviving member of the Cleveland Cabinet and the second Cleveland Administration.
Hoke Smith High School (1947–1985) once stood at 535 Hill Street SE, in Atlanta. During
World War II
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 opposin ...
, a
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...
was named the ''SS Hoke Smith''. The Hoke Smith Annex Building on the campus of the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
was named in honor of the late senator.
References
External links
Vanishing Georgia - Photograph of a political rally for the gubernatorial race of 1906, Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia, 1906*
* ''The Strange Career of Jim Crow'' by C. Vann Woodward, 2nd edition, (Oxford University Press: 1966) pp. 86–91.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Hoke
Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state)
United States Secretaries of the Interior
1855 births
1931 deaths
People from Newton, North Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution people
Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state)
Cleveland administration cabinet members
19th-century American politicians
20th-century American politicians
Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta)
Neo-Confederates
School board members in Georgia (U.S. state)
State political party chairs of Georgia (U.S. state)