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Alfred E Smith. Political career of Alfred E Smith

In Alfred E Smith 's  political career, he traded on 

his working-class beginnings, identified himself with 

immigrants, and campaigned as a man of the people. 

Although indebted to the Tammany Hall political machine, 

particularly to its boss, "Silent" Charlie Murphy, 

Alfred E Smith remained untarnished by corruption 

and worked for the passage of progressive legislation.

Alfred E Smith 's first political job was as a clerk 

in the office of the Commissioner of Jurors in 1895. 

In 1903 Alfred E Smith was elected to the New York 

State Assembly. 

Alfred E Smith served as vice chairman of the commission 

appointed to investigate factory conditions after a 

hundred workers died in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist 

Factory fire. 

Alfred E Smith crusaded against dangerous and unhealthy 

workplace conditions and championed corrective legislation.

In 1911, the Democrats obtained a majority of seats in 

the State Assembly, and Alfred E Smith became chairman 

of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. In 1912, 

following the loss of the majority, he became the 

minority leader. 

When the Democrats reclaimed the majority in the next 

election, Alfred E Smith was elected Speaker for the 

1913 session. 

Alfred E Smith became minority leader again in 1914 

when the Republicans won the majority again, and 

remained in that position until his election as 

sheriff of New York County in 1915. 

By now Alfred E Smith was a leader of the Progressive 

movement in New York City and state. 

Alfred E Smith campaign manager and top aide was Belle 

Moskowitz, daughter of Prussian-Jewish immigrants.

After serving in the patronage-rich job of sheriff 

of New York County beginning in 1916, Alfred E Smith 

was elected governor of New York in 1918 with the help 

of Tammany Boss Charles F. Murphy and James A. Farley, 

who brought Alfred E Smith the upstate vote. 

Alfred E Smith was the first Irish-American to be elected 

governor of a state, though Martin H. Glynn was New York's 

first Catholic governor, serving in 1913-1914 when he 

succeeded Governor William Sulzer, who had been impeached.

In 1919, Alfred E Smith gave the famous speech, A man as 

low and mean as I can picture, making an irreparable 

break with William Randolph Hearst. 

Newspaperman Hearst, known for Alfred E Smith 's notoriously 

sensationalist and largely except on some economic matters 

right-wing newspaper empire, was the leader of the populist 

wing of the Democratic Party in the city, and had combined 

with Tammany Hall in electing the local administration. 

Hearst had attacked Alfred E Smith for starving children 

by not reducing the cost of milk.

Alfred E Smith lost his bid for re-election in 1920, but 

was reelected as governor in 1922, 1924 and 1926 with 

James A. Farley serving as his campaign manager. 

As Governor Alfred E Smith became known nationally as a 

progressive who sought to make government more efficient 

and more effective in meeting social needs. 

Alfred E Smith 's young assistant Robert Moses constructed 

the nation's first state park system and reformed the civil 

service system; later Alfred E Smith was appointed Secretary 

of State of New York. 

During Alfred E Smith 's term New York strengthened laws 

governing workers' compensation, women's pensions, and child 

and women's labor with the help of Frances Perkins, soon to 

be President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Labor Secretary, and 

ahead of many states. 

At the 1924 Democratic National Convention, Alfred E Smith 

unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president, 

advancing the cause of civil liberty by decrying lynching 

and racial violence. 

Roosevelt made the nominating speech in which he saluted 

Alfred E Smith as "the Happy Warrior of the political 

battlefield".