Hulett Carlson Smith (October 21, 1918 – January 15, 2012) was an American politician who served as the 27th

governor of West Virginia A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

from 1965 to 1969.

Biography

The son of West Virginia

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

Joe L. Smith Joseph Luther Smith, commonly known as Joe L. Smith (May 22, 1880 – August 23, 1962), was an American politician, and a member of the Democratic Party from West Virginia. He was born in Marshes (now Glen Daniel, West Virginia) in Raleigh Cou ...

, Hulett C. Smith was born in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

. Smith attended public schools in Raleigh County, and graduated with honors from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

's Wharton School of Finance and Administration, where he majored in economics. Following his graduation from the Wharton School, Smith worked in the insurance business and at his family's radio station. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant, and ultimately became a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Active in community service and civic affairs, he served as president of The West Virginia

Junior Chamber of Commerce The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...

(1949–1950). He was the chairman of the

West Virginia Democratic Party The West Virginia Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Although West Virginia was historically one of the most Democratic-voting states in the nation, the party has rapidly lost ground in ...

from 1956 to 1961. During this time Smith co-founded Bald Knob Ski Slopes, the predecessor to Winterplace Ski Resort. He was elected governor in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

and served for one term. Due to term limits in place at that time, he was unable to run for a second term in 1968. After his term as governor, Smith served as a

Presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

; he was also on the slate of

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

's electors in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. In 1968, Smith responded to the bombing of the gymnasium at

Bluefield State College Bluefield State University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Bluefield, West Virginia. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History The Bluefield Colored Institute was founded in 1895 as ...

by offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to conviction of the culprits. Smith died in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

aged 93.

References

External links

West Virginia & Regional History Center The West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC), is the largest archival collection housing documents and manuscripts involving West Virginia and the surrounding central Appalachian region. Because of name changes over the years, it is someti ...

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

Hulett C. Smith, Governor, Papers

, - 1918 births 2012 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American Presbyterians Democratic Party governors of West Virginia Military personnel from Beckley, West Virginia Politicians from Beckley, West Virginia State political party chairs of West Virginia United States Navy officers United States Navy reservists Wharton School alumni 20th-century West Virginia politicians Businesspeople from Beckley, West Virginia Phi Delta Theta members {{WestVirginia-politician-stub