William Alden Smith

William Alden Smith ( born May 12, 1859 in Dowagiac, Cass County, Michigan, † October 11, 1932 in Grand Rapids, Michigan ) was an American politician. Smith served from 1895 to 1907 as a congressman and 1907 to 1919 as a Republican senator from Michigan.

Biography

Early life

William Alden Smith grew the first 13 years of life in Dowagiac and moved in 1872 with his parents to Grand Rapids. At the age of 16, in 1875, he began as an errand boy in the House of Representatives from Michigan to work in Lansing and so came the first time with the policies in touch.

After studying law at Burch & Montgomery, he began practicing in Grand Rapids in 1883, and represented, among others, the Chicago West Michigan Railway and the Detroit - Lansing Northern Railroad. First, he ran alone a law firm, later he founded together with Frederick W. Stevens Smiley, Smith & Stevens.

Political career

1883 Smith was appointed assistants Secretary of State of Michigan, and so began his path in politics. On March 4, 1895, Smith was elected as a representative of the 5th congressional district of Michigan in the Congress and remained there the next twelve years, until February 9, 1907. Already on January 15, he was elected U.S. Senator and entered his new office on February 9, the day of his retirement from the House of Representatives, at. In his time as a U.S. Senator Smith chaired a number of committees.

Sinking of the Titanic

The name of William Alden Smith is still associated with a totally different event. After the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 Smith was ordered in May 1912 by President William Howard Taft to head that U.S. commission of inquiry should determine the sequence and cause of the disaster. Together with his Senate colleagues Isidor Rayner (Maryland) and Francis G. Newlands (Nevada ), the Commission convened in New York City at the Waldorf -Astoria Hotel. In those 18 days, when the world first learned of the extent of the catastrophe, 86 witnesses were heard, and created over 1000 pages of minutes. Hence that report is still considered the "Bible " for the Titanic - interested, and also formed the basis for James Cameron's film Titanic in 1997.

Later life and death

William Alden Smith's term of office ended on 3 March 1919. Yet he did not sit down to rest, as he had many other commitments. As early as 1898 he had given the contract to build a railroad in Michigan, and was appointed in 1900 as Chairman of the Lowell and Hastings Railroad. In 1906 he acquired the Grand Rapids Herald, a daily newspaper, which he published soon thereafter. In addition, Smith was director of a small shipping line, which he expanded. His goal was to drive from Chicago ( Illinois) as many ports as possible on Lake Michigan. All these tasks Smith devoted himself until shortly before his death, at the age of 74 years.

Private life

William Alden Smith married in 1885 Nana Osterhout, a native of the Netherlands. With her he had a son, William Alden Smith Jr..

Functions as a senator

Others

Alden, an unincorporated community 20 miles northeast of Traverse City, was named after U.S. Senator.

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