Benjamin Atwood Smith II (March 26, 1916 – September 26, 1991) was an American politician who served as a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from December 1960 until November 1962.

Early life and education

Smith, who was named for his grandfather Benjamin A. Smith, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to R. Russell Smith and Grace Smith. He married Barbara M. (née Mechem) of Lake Forest, Illinois, and Annisquam, Massachusetts. They had five children, sons R. Russell Smith II and Benjamin A. Smith III, an ice hockey player and coach, and daughters Barbara (Smith) Ramsey, Susan (Smith) Crotty, and Cathleen Smith. Smith attended the Gloucester public schools. Smith was captain of the 1933 Gloucester High School football team. He later graduated from

Governor Dummer Academy The Governor's Academy is an independent school north of Boston located on in the village of Byfield, Massachusetts, United States (town of Newbury), north of Boston. The Academy enrolls approximately 412 students in grades nine through twelv ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. While at Harvard, Smith played fullback on the football team under coach

Dick Harlow Richard Cresson Harlow (October 19, 1889 – February 19, 1962) was an American football player and coach, as well as an oologist. Harlow served as the head coach at Pennsylvania State University (1915–1917), Colgate University (1922–1925), ...

. At Harvard, Smith was a roommate of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Military service

Smith served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for four years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. While he was in the Navy, Smith served in the Pacific as Commander on an anti-submarine, anti-torpedo vessel.

Career

Smith served as a member of the Gloucester School Committee, the Gloucester City Council and was a trustee of the Addison Gilbert Hospital. Smith served as Mayor of Gloucester from 1954 to 1955; however, at the time Smith was mayor, Gloucester was adhered to a Plan E form of government. The office of mayor was a ceremonial position, the mayor was a city councilor chosen by the city council. The city administration was carried out by a professional city manager. For many years Smith was the chief executive of his family's business, the Merchants Box Company in Gloucester.

Senate appointment

After being elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, John F. Kennedy resigned his seat in the

on December 22, 1960. Kennedy, who had been reelected to a second Senate term of six years in 1958, advised then-Governor

Foster Furcolo John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911 – July 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House o ...

to appoint Smith to fill the vacated seat "in the interest of promoting party unity." Critics said Smith, a close friend of the Kennedy family, was intended to be a "seat-warmer" until the President-elect's brother

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

turned thirty (the minimum age provided by the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...

for eligibility to serve in the Senate). Indeed, Smith served as Senator until November 6, 1962, when Edward Kennedy won the special election.

Special ambassador

In 1963, President Kennedy named Smith as the chairman of the U.S. delegation to the North Pacific Fisheries Conference involving the United States, the Soviet Union, Canada and Japan.

Death and burial

Smith died after a long illness in the Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-01-23 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Benjamin A., Ii 1916 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople American business executives Businesspeople from Massachusetts Democratic Party United States senators from Massachusetts Harvard University alumni Massachusetts city council members Massachusetts Democrats Mayors of Gloucester, Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts The Governor's Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II