Senator Reed Smoot

Senator Reed Smoot
Name	Reed Smoot
Caption	Reed Smoot in 1907
Birth date	10 January 1862
Birth place	Provo, Utah Territory
Death date	9 February 1941
Death place	Provo, Utah
Occupation	Businessman, politician
Party	Republican Party
Spouse	Edna Smoot

Senator Reed Smoot Reed Smoot (January 10, 1862 – February 9, 1941) was an American Republican politician, businessman, and religious leader from Utah. He served as a United States Senator from Utah from 1903 to 1933 and played a central role in tariff policy, fiscal legislation, and controversies involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Smoot's career connected him to national figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Herbert Hoover and to events including the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act and the Reed Smoot hearings.

Early life and education

Smoot was born in Provo, Utah Territory to immigrants of Scotland and England origin; his father was Hiram Smoot and his mother Rosetta Horne Smoot. He was raised in the Territory of Utah during the period of territorial politics involving the Utah Territory legislature and national debates over the Edmunds Act and Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act. Smoot attended local schools and completed studies at the University of Deseret (now University of Utah), later engaging in business training connected to firms in Salt Lake City and shipping networks linking to San Francisco.

Business career and LDS Church involvement

Smoot built a career in the wool and dry goods trade, cofounding firms that did business with merchants in Ogden, Utah, Los Angeles, and Chicago. He was an executive at institutions such as the Zion's Savings Bank and the Deseret National Bank, and he served on boards linked to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and regional utilities connected to Salt Lake City. Concurrently, Smoot became a prominent leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as an apostle and interacting with leaders including Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, and John W. Taylor. His dual roles in commerce and church governance placed him at the intersection of LDS institutional affairs, territorial modernization, and national financial networks.

U.S. Senate career

Elected to the United States Senate in 1903 after Utah achieved statehood, Smoot took office amid national debates dominated by Progressive Era reformers and Republican administrations. He worked with Senate colleagues such as Orville H. Platt, W. F. McCombs, Nelson W. Aldrich, and Robert M. La Follette Sr. on issues ranging from territorial policy to national trade. Smoot's tenure spanned the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, situating him in discussions over the Federal Reserve Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, and World War I-era legislation including the Espionage Act of 1917.

Smoot–Hawley Tariff and economic policy

Smoot was a principal sponsor of the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, working with Representative Willis C. Hawley to raise U.S. import duties during an era of global economic strain following the 1929 stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression. The tariff legislation engaged economists and policymakers including Eli Heckscher, Jacob Viner, and John Maynard Keynes in debates over protectionism, international trade, and retaliatory tariffs imposed by nations such as Canada and France. Critics linked Smoot–Hawley to reductions in global trade and worsening of economic contraction, while supporters cited links to domestic industries like textiles, agriculture, and steel seeking shelter from foreign competition.

Senate hearings and controversy over seating

Smoot's seating in the Senate triggered prolonged controversy because of his apostolic role in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and allegations concerning polygamy and church political influence. The Reed Smoot hearings, conducted by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections and presided over by figures including Senator Knute Nelson and legal counsel such as William H. Thompson, examined testimony from LDS leaders like Joseph F. Smith and civic witnesses from Salt Lake City. The hearings debated constitutional questions tied to the First Amendment and congressional power, and they culminated in the Senate voting to confirm Smoot's seat, a decision that affected relations between Congress and religious institutions.

Legislative achievements and committee leadership

During his three decades in the Senate, Smoot chaired influential committees including the Senate Finance Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration. He played roles in shaping tariff schedules, federal taxation policy linked to the Revenue Act of 1926, and regulatory frameworks for interstate commerce. Smoot supported measures to promote western infrastructure, working on appropriations and policy affecting the Bureau of Reclamation, Utah State Road Commission, and federal land legislation relevant to Great Basin development. His legislative network included alliances with Owen Brewster, George W. Norris, and Warren G. Harding administration officials.

Personal life and legacy

Smoot married Edna Smoot and raised a family in Provo, Utah, maintaining ties to institutions such as Brigham Young Academy (later Brigham Young University), Brigham Young University–Idaho antecedents, and regional philanthropy. His legacy is contested: historians reference Smoot in accounts of early 20th-century Republican policy, tariff history, and church-state relations explored by scholars such as Frank J. Cannon and Stanley B. Kimball. Monuments and archival collections in Provo and Salt Lake City preserve his papers and correspondence with national leaders, and his name remains associated with debates over protectionism, congressional oversight, and the political integration of Utah into national affairs.

Category:United States senators from Utah Category:1862 births Category:1941 deaths