Marcus A. Smith

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Marcus A. Smith bigraphy, stories - U.S. Senator from Arizona, 8 time Territorial Delegate to Congress from Arizona Territory

Marcus A. Smith : biography

January 24, 1851 – April 7, 1924

Marcus Aurelius "Mark" Smith (January 24, 1851 – April 7, 1924) was an American attorney and politician who served eight terms as Arizona Territorial Delegate to Congress and as one of the first two Senators from Arizona. As a Delegate he was a leader in the effort to gain statehood for Arizona. His non-voting status however minimized his influence with only 35 of the 277 bills he introduced into the House of Representatives being signed into law. Lack of a voice in the United States Senate further weakened his efforts as he managed to get Arizona statehood bills passed by the House only to see the legislation blocked in the Senate. Beyond his efforts for statehood, Smith worked to have government buildings constructed and to provide relief to his constituents affected by either man-made or natural misfortunes. His efforts to provide relief to the citizens of Arizona did not however extend to the indigenous population for whom Smith expressed great animosity.

Smith was a dedicated conservative for most of his political career. This changed following his electoral defeat in 1908. As Smith campaigned to become one of Arizona’s first two Senators he became a progressive. In this new role he was a firm supporter of Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom initiatives.

Election history

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Background

Smith was born on January 24, 1851 near Cynthiana, Kentucky as the youngest of seven sons to Frederick Chinn and Agnes Ball (Chinn) Smith. His family were successful farmers who also raised livestock. He and his brothers were educated at a combination of public and private schools. In 1868 Smith enrolled at Kentucky University (now Transylvania University) were he initially studied classics. After his graduation in 1872 he enrolled in the university’s law school. Smith graduated from law school at the top of his class in 1876.

Following his graduation, Smith worked for the Lexington legal firm of Houston & Mulligan. In 1877 he was admitted to the Kentucky bar. The same year saw him elected to a two-year term as prosecuting attorney for Lexington. After completing his term of office, Smith moved to San Francisco, California where with the assistance of his cousin, newspaperman William T. Coleman, he established a legal practice. While in California he met and married Elizabeth Rathbone.{} The marriage produced no children.

Later life

The loss of his reelection bid left Smith embittered. Additionally, his remaining financial resources were limited and Smith found himself in need of a job. To address these concerns Smith’s friend, Epes Randolph, told him "Mark, you should go back to Washington and say to President Wilson, ‘Mr. President, I’ve made a damn fool of myself over you a good many times—now you make a damn fool of yourself over me just once—give me some kind of a job’" Smith followed this advice and was appointed to the International Joint Commission on March 3, 1921, the last full day in office for both the Senator and President.

During his final years Smith lived in Washington’s Occidental Hotel, taking occasional trips to Kentucky to visit his remaining family. In Washington he received only occasional visits from a niece living in Kentucky. The solitude bothered him as shown in a January 1924 note where he wrote "was surenuff lonesome and hungry to hear something of old friends." His health also began to decline as he developed arthritis in his left hip. Smith’s outlook of this development was shown by his statement, "I can’t walk a step without the crutches, and even that aid can’t prevent suffering. The doctors call it arthritis—I call it hell, for that is what it really amounts to." With less than a dozen friends from his early days in Arizona, Smith longed to be with "my dogs and gun, my friends, my fishing rod, the trees and flowers and songs of birds and babbling brooks. Losing these paints the receding landscape in dull drab leaden colors in taking away the great attractions of life before demanding its surrender."