Martin Fernard SMITH, Congress, WA (1891-1954)

SMITH, Martin Fernard, a Representative from Washington; born in Chicago, Ill., May 28, 1891; attended the public schools, Lewis Institute, Chicago, Ill., and Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; moved to Hoquiam, Wash., in 1911 and completed law studies commenced in Chicago; was admitted to the bar in 1912 and commenced practice in Hoquiam, Wash.; served as municipal judge of Hoquiam 1914-1917; during the First World War served as a private in the Coast Artillery Corps from October 9, 1918, to December 15, 1918; member of the city council 1926-1928; mayor of Hoquiam 1928-1930; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1933-January 3, 1943); chairman, Committee on Pensions (Seventy-sixth and Seventy-seventh Congresses); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1942 to the Seventy-eighth Congress; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1936; appointed a member of the Board of Immigration Appeals, Justice Department, on April 1, 1943, and served until his resignation on April 29, 1944; unsuccessful candidate in 1944 for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator; appointed special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States on September 26, 1944, and served until his death in Bethesda, Md., October 25, 1954; interment in Arlington National Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present