Thomas Vernor Smith

Thomas Vernor Smith (April 26, 1890 – May 24, 1964), who wrote under the byline T. V. Smith, was an American philosopher, scholar, and politician from Illinois, as well as an officer in the United States Army.

Thomas Vernor Smith
Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's at-large district
In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941
Preceded by	Lewis M. Long
Succeeded by	William Stratton
Member of the Illinois Senate
In office 1935-1938
Personal details
Born	April 26, 1890 Blanket, Texas
Died	May 24, 1964 (aged 74) Hyattsville, Maryland
Political party	Democratic

Biography

Smith was born in Blanket, Texas, on April 26, 1890. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1915, and from the University of Chicago in 1922. Smith entered the Army during World War I and served as a private until discharged on January 28, 1919.

Smith was a member of the faculty of Texas Christian University from 1916 to 1918, the University of Texas from 1919 to 1921, and the University of Chicago from 1923 to 1948. He authored numerous books, and served as editor of the International Journal of Ethics from 1931 to 1948. Smith began his political career as a member of the Illinois State Senate from 1935 until 1938, and was the chairman of the Illinois Legislative Council in 1937 and 1938. Smith was subsequently elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth United States Congress, from January 3, 1939, through January 3, 1941. Smith failed to be reelected in 1940 for another term.

During World War II, Smith returned to the Army as a lieutenant colonel and later as a colonel, serving from 1943 to 1946. He was the director of education of the Allied Control Commission in Italy from November 24, 1943, to November 11, 1944. In 1948, Smith resumed his profession as a writer and teacher at the University of Syracuse until his retirement in 1959. He resided in Hyattsville, Maryland until his death there on May 24, 1964. Smith is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Further reading

• Marguerite Martyn, "'Women Are Born Politicians,'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 1936, image 32 (interview and photograph)

External links

• Works by or about Thomas Vernor Smith at Internet Archive
• Works by or about Thomas Vernor Smith in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Guide to the Thomas Vernor Smith Papers 1934-1945 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center