Charles Manley Smith (August 3, 1868 – August 12, 1937) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 59th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1933 to 1935 and 63rd governor of Vermont from 1935 to 1937.
Charles Manley Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 63rd Governor of Vermont | |
| In office January 10, 1935 – January 7, 1937 | |
| Lieutenant | George Aiken |
| Preceded by | Stanley C. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | George Aiken |
| 59th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
| In office 1933–1935 | |
| Governor | Stanley C. Wilson |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Williams |
| Succeeded by | George Aiken |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1931–1933 | |
| Preceded by | Annie J. Moloney |
| Succeeded by | Charles T. Quigley |
| Constituency | Rutland City |
| Member of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office 1927–1931 Serving with Lewellyn J. Eggleston, Dan D. Burditt, Edward A. Ellis (1926) Leonard F. Croft, Guy Herbert Boyce, Herbert C. Comings (1928) | |
| Preceded by | Lewellyn J. Eggleston, Edwin W. Lawrence, Cecil E. McIntyre, Leo T. Pratt |
| Succeeded by | Edward H. Clark, Lewellyn J. Eggleston, Clarence H. Murdick, E. Lewis Olney |
| Constituency | Rutland County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 3, 1868 West Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 1937 (aged 69) Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary A. Stark (1864–1935)[1] |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Profession | Banker |
Life and career
editSmith was born in West Rutland, Vermont, on August 3, 1868. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1891[2] and served as private secretary to former Vermont Governor Redfield Proctor when Proctor was Secretary of War.[3]
Active in banking and insurance, Smith became President of Marble Savings Bank in 1920.[4]
A Republican, Smith served in the Vermont State Senate from 1927 to 1931.[5] He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1931 to 1933 and was Ways and Means Committee Chairman.[6] He served as Lieutenant Governor from 1933 to 1935.[7]
Smith was elected Governor in 1934 and served from 1935 to 1937.[8] During his administration, the state legislature approved old age pension and unemployment compensation laws.[9]
In December 1936, Smith and other Marble Bank officials were charged with fraud for failing to inform account holders and authorities about an embezzlement. In May 1932, Smith had learned that his bank's bookkeeper had stolen $251,000. Smith let him leave quietly, kept the theft secret, and charged the loss against the bank's surplus.[10][11][12]
In July 1935, the bookkeeper was named Rutland's Assistant City Treasurer and planned a candidacy for Treasurer. To prevent this, his opponents leaked word of the theft to the press. The bookkeeper was convicted and jailed, and the bank Treasurer received a suspended sentence and a $400 fine. Charges against most other parties were dismissed, and Smith was acquitted at his trial.[13]
Personal life
editSmith married Mary Aurelia Stark and they had three children.[citation needed]
In 1936, Smith was injured in a car accident and his health began to decline. He became ill in June 1937 and died on August 12, 1937, aged 69, just eight months after leaving office.[14][15] He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Rutland, Vermont.[16]
References
edit- ^ Hartford Courant, Obituary, Mrs. Charles M. Smith, February 24, 1935
- ^ Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, Catalogue By Alpha Delta Phi, 1899, page 381
- ^ New York Times, Mrs. Charles M. Smith; Wife of Governor of Vermont Succumbs at Age of 71, February 21, 1935
- ^ American Bankers Association, Journal of the American Bankers Association, Volume 13, 1920, page 35
- ^ American Legislators' Association, State government, Volumes 9-10, 1936, page 239
- ^ Vermont House of Representatives, List of Ways & Means Committee Chairmen since 1900, 2005
- ^ Vermont State Archives and Records Administration Archived April 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Lieutenant Governors Terms of Service, 2011, page 2
- ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Governors, Terms of Service, 2011
- ^ "Charles M. Smith". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
- ^ New York Times, Vermont Governor Held in Bank Case, December 1, 1936
- ^ Hartford Courant[dead link], Gov. Smith Is Released On Bank Charge, December 2, 1936
- ^ New York Times, Gov. Smith Rearrested, December 29, 1936
- ^ New York Times, Three Vermont Bankers Cleared, April 27, 1937
- ^ New York Times, Ex-Gov. C. M. Smith of Vermont Dies, August 13, 1937
- ^ Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 Record for Charles Manley Smith, accessed via Ancestry.com, April 30, 2012
- ^ Vermont Old Cemetery Association, accessed November 17, 2017