John W. Smith (Detroit mayor)
| John W. Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 52nd Mayor of Detroit, Michigan | |
| In office 1924–1928 |
|
| Preceded by | John C. Lodge |
| Succeeded by | John C. Lodge |
| 57th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan | |
| In office 1933–1933 |
|
| Preceded by | Frank Couzens |
| Succeeded by | Frank Couzens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 12, 1882 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | June 17, 1942 Detroit, Michigan |
John W. Smith (April 12, 1882 – June 17, 1942) was a long-time member of the Detroit City Council and was twice mayor of Detroit, Michigan.
Early life [edit]
John W. Smith was born in Detroit on April 12, 1882, the son of John W. and Gertrude Wax Smith.[1][2] His father died when Smith was five years old, leaving the family poor.[3] He began working as a newsboy when he was six years old.[3] He quit school in the fifth grade,[4] and worked as a pin-setter in a bowling alley and a newsboy, furthering his education on his own at the libreary.[1][3] He started boxing at a young age,[3] then joined the army at the age of fifteen to fight the Spanish-American War, staying on to fight in the Philippines for some time.[2]
On his return to Detroit in 1901, Smith attended the University of Detroit for a year, simultaneously becoming a journeyman pipefitter.[3] He next joined the Detroit Shipbuilding Company as a pipefitter.[1]
Smith married Marie General;[5] the couple had two children: Dorothy and John W., Jr.[3]
Politics [edit]
Smith became active in Republican politics in 1908,[3] and in 1911 was appointed Deputy State Labor Commissioner by Governor Chase S. Osborn.[1] 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.[2] He was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1920, and was appointed postmaster of Detroit by Warren G. Harding in 1922.[1]
In 1924, Smith won election as Detroit mayor after Frank Ellsworth Doremus's resignation,[1] continuing in the office until 1928.[6] Smith later served on the Detroit City Council for most of the time from 1932 until his death in 1942.[7] He served one more time as mayor in 1933, acting to fill out the end of Frank Murphy's term,[6] after the latter had resigned and his successor, Frank Couzens, also resigned to concentrate on running for election as mayor.[8] Smith ran for mayor off-and-on, including in 1930 and 1936, and for governor in 1934,[5] but was not elected.[9][10]
John W. Smith died on June 17, 1942.[11]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John C. Lodge |
Mayor of Detroit 1924-1928 |
Succeeded by John C. Lodge |
| Preceded by Frank Couzens |
Mayor of Detroit 1933 |
Succeeded by Frank Couzens |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Philip Parker Mason (1987), Title The Ambassador Bridge: a monument to progress, Wayne State University Press, pp. 75–76, ISBN 0-8143-1840-1
- ^ a b c Edwin Gustav Pipp (1927), Men who have made Michigan, Pipp's magazine
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ex-Mayor of Deroit". The Windsor Daily Star. Jun 18, 1942.
- ^ Michigan State Library (1919), Michigan Library Bulletin, Volumes 10-17, p. 45
- ^ a b Who's Who in Detroit, 1935-36, Walter Romig & Co, 1935, p. 296
- ^ a b "Mayors of the City of Detroit". Detroit Public Library. 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
- ^ "Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ "KELLY, WHEALAN PLEDGE HELP TO RECOVERY DRIVE". Chicago Tribune. Sep 9, 1933.
- ^ "LABOR: In Detroit". Time Magazine. Oct. 18, 1937.
- ^ "National Affairs: Detroit's Irishman". Time Magazine. September 22, 1930.
- ^ "JOHN W. SMITH; Detroit's Ex-Mayor, 59, Had Served Also as...". New York Times. Jun 18, 1942.
