Preston Earnest Smith (March 8, 1912 – October 18, 2003) was an American entrepreneur and politician who served as the 40th

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

from 1969 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 35th

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1963 to 1969.

Early life

Smith was born into a tenant farming family of 13 children in Corn Hill, a town in

Williamson County, Texas Williamson County (sometimes abbreviated as "Wilco") is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 609,017. The 2024 population estimate was 727,480. Its c ...

, that has since been absorbed into nearby Jarrell. The family later moved to

Lamesa, Texas Lamesa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,674 at the 2020 census, down from 9,952 at the 2000 census. Located south of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado, Lamesa was founded in 1903. M ...

, where Smith graduated in 1928 from Lamesa High School. In 1934, he graduated from Texas Technological College (now

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

) in

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Staying in Lubbock, he founded a

movie theater A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

business and invested in real estate.

Political career

Smith was first elected to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

in 1944 and then to the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

in 1956. Smith's inauguration on January 21, 1969, had what was called "the flavor of the South Plains". The Texas Tech University marching band led the parade just behind the marshal and the color guard. A mounted masked Red Raider rode with the band. Governor and Mrs. Smith, both Tech graduates, followed in an open convertible. Other Smith family members rode in the parade, followed by the new lieutenant governor, Ben Barnes. The band of Lamesa High School, Smith's alma mater, was the first among the high school groups. Before the oath taking, the first to be televised in Texas history, Smith had been feted with a $25-per-place victory dinner in the Austin Municipal Auditorium, now the

Long Center for the Performing Arts The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue located along Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin Texas. The Long Center is the permanent home of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera and Ballet Aust ...

. In 1971 and 1972, Smith was embroiled in the Sharpstown scandal stock fraud scheme, which eventually led to his downfall. Smith lost his third-term bid for the governorship of Texas to

Dolph Briscoe Dolph Briscoe Jr. (April 23, 1923 – June 27, 2010) was an American rancher and businessman from Uvalde, Texas, who was the 41st governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Because of his re-election fo ...

of Uvalde in the Democratic primary in 1972.

Later life and attempted political comeback

After leaving office, Smith returned to

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, where he was active in civic and business affairs. Although he attempted a political comeback in the 1978 Texas gubernatorial election, he was defeated in the primary. In his later life, Smith chaired the Higher Education Coordinating Board. He died in

, on October 18, 2003, at the age of 91.

References

External links

''Programs for people''
by Preston Smith, published 1973, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History.
*http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/020508/obi_243811655.shtml

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Preston 1912 births 2003 deaths Burials at Texas State Cemetery Democratic Party governors of Texas Lieutenant governors of Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives People from Lubbock, Texas People from Lamesa, Texas Democratic Party Texas state senators Texas Tech University alumni 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature American United Methodists 20th-century Methodists