Elbert Sidney Smith (October 27, 1911 – April 7, 1983) was an American politician and lawyer. Born, on a farm, in

Sangamon County, Illinois Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the Spr ...

. Smith was educated in the

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in ...

public schools. He went to

Millikin University Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Media Decaturian The ''Decaturian'', also known as ...

and then received his law degree from

University of Alabama School of Law The University of Alabama School of Law, (formerly known as the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama) located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the st ...

1936. Smith practiced law in Decatur, Illinois. 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, 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 ...

. From 1949 to 1957, Smith served in the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

and was a Republican. Smith then served as Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts from 1957 to 1961. Smith served in the 6th Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1969 and was vice president of the constitution convention. Smith died in a hospital in Decatur, Illinois.'Elbert Smith, reformed state fiscal accounting,' Chicago Tribune, April 9, 1983, section 1, pg. 10

Notes

1911 births 1983 deaths People from Decatur, Illinois People from Sangamon County, Illinois Millikin University alumni University of Alabama School of Law alumni Illinois lawyers Auditors of Public Accounts of Illinois Republican Party Illinois state senators 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers {{Illinois-statesenator-stub