Virginia Smith
Encyclopedia
Virginia Dodd Smith was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
from 1975 to 1991 from the Third Congressional District
of Nebraska
. She was the first, and only woman so far to represent Nebraska in the United States House of Representatives
.
in Fremont County
in the southwestern tip of Iowa
, to Clifton Clark Dodd and the former Erville Reeves. On August 27, 1931, she married Haven N. Smith (May 28, 1909 – May 12, 1997). The Smiths died in Sun City, Arizona
, where they had resided after 1991. There were no children from the marriage. They are buried in Iowa.
Virginia Smith graduated from the University of Nebraska in the capital city of Lincoln
in 1936. For most of her adult life, she and Haven lived in Chappell
, in Deuel County
, in the Nebraska Panhandle
and worked as an advocate on rural and agricultural issues. She was a member of the Business and Professional Women's Club and served as national president from 1951 to 1954 of the American Country Life Association.
She was a Republican National Convention
delegate at each party conclave from 1956 to 1972. Smith was elected to succeed Representative Dave Martin
in 1974. In the year of Watergate, she defeated her Democratic opponent by just 737 votes, but she was easily re-elected in subsequent elections. A young Karl Rove
, later famous as an advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush
, worked on the Smith campaign that year in one of his first election assignments. In 1984, Mrs. Smith was named "Independent Woman of the Year."
In Congress, Smith worked to guard funding for rural projects affecting her district and was a vocal opponent of legislative pay increases. She actively sought emergency federal aid for Grand Island
after a series of devastating tornadoes swept through the city in 1980. In 1987, she led a drive to roll back a $12,100 pay raise and refused to accept the money when her efforts failed.
Smith was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she was regarded as a swing vote on many Reagan
administration priorities. Hers was the critical vote in favor of funding the controversial MX missile in 1982, but she opposed the president's request for funding the Contra
rebels in Nicaragua
in 1985.
National Republicans encouraged Smith to run against U.S. Senator J. James Exon
in 1984, but, at seventy-three, she passed on the race and instead ran for re-election. She opted against seeking reelection in 1990 and was succeeded by Republican Bill Barrett
.
The Virginia Smith Converter Station
(near Sidney
in Cheyenne County
) and the Virginia Smith Dam on the Calamus River (near Burwell
in Garfield County
) are named for her. Her congressional papers are archived at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She was a Methodist.
Smith was asked when she came to Congress about her philosophy of life. "As a 15-year-old high school valedictorian [in 1927], I wrote these words in my valedictory message. 'There is no excellence without great labor.' Almost half a century later, I continue to live by this philosophy."
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1975 to 1991 from the Third Congressional District
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. She was the first, and only woman so far to represent Nebraska in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
Biography
She was born in RandolphRandolph, Iowa
Randolph is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of Virginia Smith, Republican U.S...
in Fremont County
Fremont County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,441 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,431 housing units, of which 3,064 were occupied.-2000 census:...
in the southwestern tip of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, to Clifton Clark Dodd and the former Erville Reeves. On August 27, 1931, she married Haven N. Smith (May 28, 1909 – May 12, 1997). The Smiths died in Sun City, Arizona
Sun City, Arizona
Sun City is a census-designated place and unincorporated town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 38,309 at the 2000 census...
, where they had resided after 1991. There were no children from the marriage. They are buried in Iowa.
Virginia Smith graduated from the University of Nebraska in the capital city of Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
in 1936. For most of her adult life, she and Haven lived in Chappell
Chappell, Nebraska
Chappell is a city in Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 983 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Deuel County.-Geography:Chappell is located at ....
, in Deuel County
Deuel County, Nebraska
-History:Deuel County was formed in 1889. It was named after Harry Porter Deuel, an early pioneer in this area.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,098 people, 908 households, and 601 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were...
, in the Nebraska Panhandle
Panhandle
A panhandle is an informal geographic term for an elongated arm-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state.-Term:...
and worked as an advocate on rural and agricultural issues. She was a member of the Business and Professional Women's Club and served as national president from 1951 to 1954 of the American Country Life Association.
She was a Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
delegate at each party conclave from 1956 to 1972. Smith was elected to succeed Representative Dave Martin
David Martin (Nebraska politician)
David Thomas Martin was a Republican politician from western Nebraska who served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1975....
in 1974. In the year of Watergate, she defeated her Democratic opponent by just 737 votes, but she was easily re-elected in subsequent elections. A young Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
, later famous as an advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, worked on the Smith campaign that year in one of his first election assignments. In 1984, Mrs. Smith was named "Independent Woman of the Year."
In Congress, Smith worked to guard funding for rural projects affecting her district and was a vocal opponent of legislative pay increases. She actively sought emergency federal aid for Grand Island
Grand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
after a series of devastating tornadoes swept through the city in 1980. In 1987, she led a drive to roll back a $12,100 pay raise and refused to accept the money when her efforts failed.
Smith was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she was regarded as a swing vote on many Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
administration priorities. Hers was the critical vote in favor of funding the controversial MX missile in 1982, but she opposed the president's request for funding the Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
rebels in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in 1985.
National Republicans encouraged Smith to run against U.S. Senator J. James Exon
J. James Exon
John James "Jim" Exon was an American Democratic politician. He served as the 33rd Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. Exon was a Nebraska Democrat who never lost an election, and the only Democrat to hold his Nebraska's Senate Class 2 seat...
in 1984, but, at seventy-three, she passed on the race and instead ran for re-election. She opted against seeking reelection in 1990 and was succeeded by Republican Bill Barrett
Bill Barrett
William E. "Bill" Barrett is a Republican politician from Nebraska who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2001 as the congressman for Nebraska's third congressional district....
.
The Virginia Smith Converter Station
Virginia Smith Converter Station
Virginia Smith Converter Station is a High-voltage direct current back-to-back station near Sidney, Nebraska named for former Congresswoman Virginia Smith, a Nebraska Republican who represented Nebraska's 3rd congressional district from 1975 to 1991. Virginia Smith Converter Station was built by...
(near Sidney
Sidney, Nebraska
Sidney is a city in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheyenne County.-History:The city was named for Sidney Dillon, a railroad attorney...
in Cheyenne County
Cheyenne County, Nebraska
-History:Cheyenne County was formed in 1871. It was named after the Cheyenne Native American tribe.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, of 2000, there were 9,830 people, 4,071 households, and 2,686 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile . There...
) and the Virginia Smith Dam on the Calamus River (near Burwell
Burwell, Nebraska
Burwell is a city in Garfield County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,130 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Garfield County.-History:Burwell is host to 'Nebraska's Big Rodeo,' an annual event usually held the last weekend of July...
in Garfield County
Garfield County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,902 people, 813 households, and 529 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile . There were 1,021 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
) are named for her. Her congressional papers are archived at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She was a Methodist.
Smith was asked when she came to Congress about her philosophy of life. "As a 15-year-old high school valedictorian [in 1927], I wrote these words in my valedictory message. 'There is no excellence without great labor.' Almost half a century later, I continue to live by this philosophy."
External links
- Virginia Smith papers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln