William T. Smith II (January 25, 1916 – March 30, 2010) was an American farmer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was born on January 25, 1916, in Corning,

Steuben County, New York Steuben County (stu-BEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American ...

. He attended the public schools in Big Flats, and Corning Free Academy. He graduated from the New York State College of Agriculture, Cornell University in 1938. Afterwards he farmed in Big Flats. In 1961, he bought a

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

for $6,100 using money he gained from farm subsidies, which were intended to prop up crop prices by paying farmers not to grow crops. Smith, a fourth-generation farmer, drove the Cadillac around the district as a campaign prop demonstrating the largesse of the federal government's entitlement programs, and the next year managed to win the

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 ...

primary in the 49th District, defeating the incumbent State Senator

Harold A. Jerry, Jr. Harold Anderson Jerry Jr. (March 2, 1920 – June 9, 2001) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on March 2, 1920, in Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York. He graduated from Princeton University in 1941. During ...

Afterwards he was nicknamed sometimes as Bill "Cadillac" Smith. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1963 to 1986, sitting in the 174th, 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th and

186th New York State Legislature The 186th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 9, 1985, to December 31, 1986, during the third and fourth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Backgrou ...

s. Smith led a campaign against

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

, which stemmed from his daughter's death in a drunk driving related incident in 1973. Smith was noted for his staunch fiscal conservatism, pushed for cost estimates on state bills, and voted against the state enrolling in

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

(the only member of the entire New York legislature to do so) because he believed the cost would be much more than estimated. At one point he had reached the position of deputy majority leader. He died on March 30, 2010, at the Founders Pavilion nursing home in

Corning, New York Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...

.''Former senator "Cadillac" Smith dies''
in ''The Leader'', of Corning, on March 30, 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William T. Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Corning, New York Cornell University alumni 1916 births 2010 deaths