Who was Al Smith?
Q: Who was Al Smith?
A: Al Smith was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York four times, and was the Democratic US presidential candidate in 1928. He was a leader of the Progressive Movement, and noted for making a wide range of reforms as governor in the 1920s.
Q: What did he oppose?
A: He opposed prohibition and was linked to the Tammany Hall machine that controlled Manhattan politics.
Q: Why did he lose his presidential election bid?
A: He lost his presidential election bid due to opposition from Southern Baptists and German Lutherans who feared that the pope would dictate his policies. It also didn't help that it was a time of national prosperity, which made Herbert Hoover more appealing to voters than Smith.
Q: Did he try for another nomination after this loss?
A: Yes, he tried for the 1932 nomination but was defeated by his former ally Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Q: What did Smith do after this defeat?
A: After this defeat, Smith entered business in New York City and became an increasingly vocal opponent of Roosevelt's New Deal.
Q: What honor did he receive from the Papacy? A: In 1939 he received a Papal Chamberlain of the Sword and Cape, one of the highest honors bestowed on a layman by the Papacy which today is styled as Gentlemen of His Holiness.
Q: How did Smith die? A:Smith died at Rockefeller Institute Hospital on October 4, 1944 due to a heart attack at age 70 following his wife's death from cancer five months earlier.
