Ralph Tyler Smith (October 6, 1915 – August 13, 1972) was an American lawyer and politician from Illinois, who served as a United States Senator from Illinois between 1969 until 1970. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Smith previously served in the Illinois state house from 1955 through 1969, including two years as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1969, prior to his appointment to the senate by governor Richard Ogilvie. He lost re-election to

Adlai Stevenson III Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (October 10, 1930 – September 6, 2021) was an American attorney and politician of the Democratic Party who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1970 until 1981. A member of the prominent Stevenson fami ...

in the 1970 special election.

Early life and education

Ralph Tyler Smith was born in Granite City, Illinois on October 6, 1915. Smith graduated from Illinois College in 1937 and from Washington University School of Law in 1940. He began the practice of law that same year. He worked as an attorney for C. & I.M. Railway Company in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

Military career

Shortly after the start of

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 ...

, Smith enlisted in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

, and commissioned an Ensign. He served as an instructor in the Naval Midshipman School at

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campus ...

. He was then transferred to the USS PC-1182, a

PC-461-class submarine chaser The ''PC-461''-class submarine chasers were a class of 343 submarine chasers constructed mainly for the US Navy and built from 1941 to 1944. The ''PC-461''s were based primarily on two experimental submarine chasers, ''PC-451'' and '' PC-452''. ...

, which escorted convoys. He then went to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

to take command of the USS PGM-28, a

PGM-9-class motor gunboat The ''PGM-9''-class motor gunboats were a class of 24 gunboats converted for the United States Navy from 1944-1945, succeeding the s. All 24 ''PGM-9''s were converted from s while still under construction. The ''PGM-9''s were created to support ...

in 1945. After a period of minesweeping in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Smith was released into inactive duty as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Political career

Illinois general assembly

After his active navy service, he moved to Alton, Illinois and resumed the practice of law. In 1954, he was elected to the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

, the legislative branch of the government of Illinois. He was re-elected for seven succeeding terms between 1954 and 1968, before becoming majority whip in 1963, and later speaker in 1967.

United States Senate

Upon the death of Everett Dirksen,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Richard B. Ogilvie Richard Buell Ogilvie (February 22, 1923 – May 10, 1988) was the 35th governor of Illinois and served from 1969 to 1973. A wounded combat veteran of World War II, he became known as the mafia-fighting sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, in th ...

appointed Smith to fill the vacancy in 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 ...

. He served from September 17, 1969 to November 16, 1970. He ran for re-election in the 1970 special election, but was defeated by

Adlai E. Stevenson III Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (October 10, 1930 – September 6, 2021) was an American attorney and politician of the Democratic Party who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1970 until 1981. A member of the prominent Stevenson fami ...

, the son of former Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson II. When Smith ran against Stevenson, the Utah College Republicans sent a then unknown nineteen-year-old student,

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...

, to work on Smith's campaign.

Later life and death

Following his defeat in 1970, he returned to practicing law. He died on August 13, 1972, in

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland *Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

. He is buried at Sunset Hill Cemetery, in

Glen Carbon Glen Carbon is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis. The population was 13,842 at the 2020 census. History In 1801, Colonel Samuel Judy received a military grant for of land near the base of the bluffs, ...

, Madison County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. His plot is located at the Mausoleum Chapel, Corridor 4, Crypt A, Grave 104.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ralph 1915 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Illinois College alumni Illinois lawyers Military personnel from Illinois People from Alton, Illinois People from Granite City, Illinois Republican Party United States senators from Illinois Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives United States Navy officers Washington University School of Law alumni