Introduction
C. S. Smith (1894 - 1971) was an American politician. He served as mayor of Compton, California from 1933 to 1936.
Early life and education
C. S. Smith was born on May 6, 1894 in Washington, Ohio, as Clifton Stanwood Smith, to Mary Stanwood and Frank C. Smith, an engineer and rancher.
Smith was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where his father was the chief engineer of the San Antonio Power & Light Company, along with other directors Collis Potter Huntington and Samuel Finley Breese Morse. His father was also an organizer of the Memphis Power & Light Company and the Columbus (Ohio) Telephone Company. He was also a successful rancher and cattleman. His ranch stood at the confluence of the rivers which now form "Riverwalk" of San Antonio and the family home still stands in the historic district of San Antonio.
In 1910, Smith's family relocated to Riverside, California. He graduated as valedictorian of his class from the Peacock Military Academy in San Antonio, Texas.
Career
Army
Smith joined the U.S. army during the world was I, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Air Service, Signal Corps of America, the first Air Force of the United States. He trained at March Field in Riverside along with another cadet, Jimmy Doolittle, who later became known for his raid on Tokyo during World War II.
Smith graduated first in his class and was retained as an instructor during the rest of the war.
He retired from active military duty as a Major in the Army Reserve.
Aviation
In June of 1924, he was flying over California and made an abrupt landing on a large field in Compton, as he was running short of fuel and daylight. Compton, founded in 1880, was a relatively new suburb of Los Angeles. The large open field in Compton seemed an ideal location for an airport to Smith. He negotiated and took over the land from its current owner, the local school district, and had the airport built.
In the years 1924-36, the operations of the airport were transferred aviator Jimmie Angel, and later to Sewell Griggers. In 1936, the lease was taken over by Earl Woodley. Under his leadership, additional land was strategically purchased in order to bring about a crosswind runway.
Business
In the 1930s, Smith also founded C. S. Smith Metropolitan Market Co., Ltd., a California corporation, engaged in selling groceries, meats, and other commodities at retail. It owned and operated seven retail markets located in several cities in southern California. The business went through various legal battles, which damaged Smith financially.
Politics
In 1993, Smith contested in Compton election as a democrat, and was elected mayor. He was the second mayor of the city, and the first democrat. The first mayor of the city, from 1924 to 1933, was C. A. Dickison, a republican. Smith defeated Dickison by 74 votes.
Smith became the mayor at the time when the city was suffering from the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which locally was known as the "Compton Earthquake." The event destroyed the Compton City Hall and most of the city's schools. As mayor, Smith supervised the reconstruction of all schools in the city, the city hall and the fire stations. Many Compton schools still bear his name on their dedication plaques. As the depression worsened, he often anonymously paid the property taxes of residents in danger of losing their homes.
A feud developed between Smith and Compton Chief of Police E. A. West. It reached a climax in April 1936, when Smith slammed his fist into West's jaw during a city council meeting. This led to a well publicized trial, which led to Smith and four Compton City Councilmen being recalled from office in a September special election. A. Leroy Aylmer, a republican, then became the mayor of Compton and remained in the office from 1936 to 1941.
After his political defeat, Smith remained in Compton until his death.
Death
C. S. Smith died on March 30, 1971.