M. Hoke Smith
- For the former president of Towson University, see Hoke L. Smith.
- For other people by this name, see Michael Smith.
| Michael Hoke Smith | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| In office March 6, 1893 – September 1, 1896 |
|
| Preceded by | John Willock Noble |
| Succeeded by | David R. Francis |
|
|
|
| Born | September 2 1855 Newton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | November 27 1931 (aged 76) U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marion "Birdie" Cobb Smith |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Michael Hoke Smith (September 2, 1855 –
November 27, 1931) was a newspaper owner, United States Secretary of the
Interior (1893-1896), Democratic
Smith was born in Newton, North Carolina, and moved to Georgia in 1872 with his parents. He was primarily educated by his father, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith became a lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, passing the bar examination in 1873. He maintained a small office in the James building downtown struggling to build a practice which began to grow when he hit on his talent for arguing injury suits.[1] As his practice grew, he brought in his brother Burton in 1882, also excellent in front of juries, and they worked together for over 10 years. [2] Their main clients were the many railroadmen injured on the job; three-quarters of the cases they took involved personal injury and they won the bulk of them. [3]
He served as chairman of the Fulton County and State Democratic Conventions and was president of the Atlanta Board of Education. In 1887, Smith bought the Atlanta Journal. His strong support in the Journal for Grover Cleveland during the 1892 Presidential election gained him the attention of Cleveland.
Smith was appointed as Secretary of the Interior by Cleveland in 1893. He worked hard to right land patents previously obtained by the railroads, for rationalization of Indian affairs and for the economic development of the South. A staunch defender of Cleveland and his sound money policy, he campaigned through-out the country in 1896 for Cleveland candidates. When William Jennings Bryan was selected at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, Smith was in a quandary: could he support the party without supporting the platform? The overwhelming support for silver and Bryan in his home-state of Georgia convinced him to try to have it both ways. The Journal endorsed the candidate but continued to denounce the silver policy and he resigned his cabinet post to protect Cleveland.[4]
He returned to Atlanta and resumed his lucrative law practice netting around $25,000 per year and slowly worked to rebuild his local reputation.[5] In April 1900 he sold his interests in the Journal and tried many other investments but the only ones that did well were real estate in the Atlanta area. He was instrumental in organizing the North Avenue Presbyterian Church (which still stands) and was re-elected to the Atlanta Board of Education.[6]
Smith then allied himself with Bryan's Vice Presidential candidate, Populist Tom Watson, one of the most influential politicians in Georgia at the time. With Watson's support, Smith was elected governor in 1907. In order to gain Watson's support, however, he had to first stoop as low as to call the Negro vote "ignorant [and] purchaseable." He established several Jim Crow laws requiring literacy tests and property ownership for voting. Smith also supported railroad reform and election reform. After losing the support of Watson, he was defeated in the next election by Joseph M. Brown. Smith was re-elected as governor in 1911.
In 1911, while still governor, he was chosen by the Georgia General Assembly to fill out the term of United States Senator Alexander S. Clay. Smith won re-election in 1914, but was defeated by Tom Watson in 1920. Afterwards, Smith practiced law in Washington, DC, and Atlanta. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to his death, Smith had been the last surviving member of the Cleveland Cabinet.
References
| Preceded by John Willock Noble |
United
States Secretary of the Interior 1893–1896 |
Succeeded by David Rowland Francis |
| Preceded by Joseph M. Terrell |
1907–1909 |
Succeeded by Joseph M. Brown |
| Preceded by Joseph M. Brown |
1911–1911 |
Succeeded by John M. Slaton |
| Preceded by Joseph M. Terrell |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia 1911–1921 |
Succeeded by Thomas E. Watson |
Notes
| United States Secretaries of the Interior | |
|---|---|
| Ewing • McKennan • Stuart • McClelland • Thompson • C Smith • Usher • Harlan • Browning • Cox • Delano • Chandler • Schurz • Kirkwood • Teller • Lamar • Vilas • Noble • M Smith • Francis • Bliss • Hitchcock • Garfield • Ballinger • Fisher • Lane • Payne • Fall • Work • West • Wilbur • Ickes • Krug • Chapman • McKay • Seaton • Udall • Hickel • Morton • Hathaway • Kleppe • Andrus • Watt • Clark • Hodel • Lujan • Babbitt • Norton • Kempthorne |  |
|
|
|---|
| Bulloch •
Gwinnett • Treutlen • Houstoun • Wereat • Walton •
Howly • Heard • Davies • Brownson • Martin • Hall • Houstoun • Elbert • Telfair
• Mathews • Handley • Walton • Telfair • Mathews • Irwin • Jackson • Emanuel •
Tattnall • Milledge • Irwin • Mitchell • Early
• Mitchell • Rabun • Talbot • Clark • Troup • Forsyth • Gilmer • Lumpkin • Schley • Gilmer • McDonald • Crawford • Towns • Cobb • H.
Johnson • J.E. Brown • J.
Johnson • Jenkins • Ruger •
Bullock • Conley • J. Smith • Colquitt • Stephens • Boynton • McDaniel • Gordon • Northen • Atkinson • Candler • Terrell • H.
Smith • J.M. Brown • H. Smith •
Slaton • J.M. Brown • Slaton • N. Harris • Dorsey • Hardwick • Walker • Hardman • Russell • E. Talmadge • Rivers • E. Talmadge • Arnall • Thompson • H.
Talmadge • Griffin • Vandiver •
Sanders • |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
