 George L. Smith II Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteOne of Georgia's most politically skilled leaders, George Leon Smith, II was born in Stillmore, Georgia on November 27, 1912. After graduating from Swainsboro High School, Smith followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps and entered the University of Georgia. He studied law and was a member of Delta Tau Delta, Blue Key, Gridiron and Sphinx. He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1932 and returned to Swainsboro to practice law. In 1937, Smith was elected as Solicitor of Swainsboro City Court. Later, in 1941, he became the City Attorney. Smith's legislative career began with his election to the Georgia House of Representatives for the 91st District in 1944. After his 1948 re-election, Smith ran unopposed for the next fourteen years. He was a proponent of eleven year schools, as well as the addition of kindergarten to the school system. Smith argued that Georgia's schools should be funded by the state rather than by the local government. Under Governor Vandiver, Smith was named as Speaker of the House in 1959 and remained in that position until Governor Sanders was elected in 1962. Sanders chose George T. Smith as speaker and made George L. Smith the Democratic Party Whip and president of the National Conference of Legislative Leaders. In 1966, Smith resurrected his rise to legislative power by leading the House's declaration of independence from the executive branch. He became the first independently elected speaker of Georgia in 1967. Smith continued in his effort to consolidate the speaker's power by refusing to allow the administration's floor leader to sit as an ex-officio member of the Rules, Ways and Means, Appropriations or State of Republic Committees. He also changed the House rules, giving the speaker control over committee appointments and chairmanships. Also in 1967, Smith was offered a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court but rejected the position saying, "my life is legislation." True to his calling, then, Smith continued his legislative career, winning his thirteenth term in 1968. He remained speaker until his death on December 9, 1973. During his eleven years as Speaker of the House, George L. Smith, II dominated Georgia politics. He controlled the House of Representatives with great agility and his legislative skill was legendary. Governors came to him in order to insure that their legislation would be passed. Smith was Speaker during the 1966 election controversy in which no candidate received a majority of the votes and the election was decided in the legislature. He pushed for plurality votes in general elections so that the "people of Georgia can be assured of their right to choose their governor." In addition to his activities in the House, Smith was also a member of the Georgia State Democratic Committee. Smith married Francis McWhorter Mobley on December 29, 1937 and had one daughter, Sally. Scope and ContentThe George L. Smith II Papers consist of manuscripts, clippings, memorabilia, and scrapbooks from Smith's career as a representative from Emanuel County in the Georgia House (1944-1973) as well as his tenure as Speaker of the House (1956-1962, 1967-1973). The years represented are 1956 to 1974 and activities documented are political (local and state). Organization and ArrangementThe Papers are divided into seven series: I. Personal, II. Legislative, III. Speech and Press, IV. Scrapbooks, V. Photographs, VI. Artifacts, and VII. Audiovisual Materials. The bulk of the collection is organized in reverse chronological order, with the exception of the Series II, D (Georgia General Assembly Committee Reports) which was a later addition to the collection. This collection was originally housed in the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscript Library where the papers were processed and organized. In 2000, alterations were made to the arrangement including the renaming of some series to provide a more clear description and the division and renaming of items at the folder level. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationGeorge L. Smith II Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Processing NotesClippings and thermofax papers have been copied onto bond paper for protection of content. Oversized materials and photographs have been separated for preservation purposes. Scrapbooks are preserved on microfilm. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2000. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Clifford Hodges Brewton Collection of Lester G. Maddox Speech/Press Records Augustus Turnbull Collection of Carl Sanders Speech/Press Records Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection Howard H. (Bo) Callaway Papers Related Collections in Other RepositoriesThomas Murphy Papers, State University of West Georgia, Carollton, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||