Lon A. Smith

Full Name: Alonzo Abner "Lon" Smith
Date of birth: March 13, 1869
Date of death: October 21, 1947

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information
Legislation

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	8	Jan 14, 1919 - Oct 4, 1920	36th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾	Democrat	Henderson / Rusk		Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Shelby
S	8	Jan 12, 1915 - Jan 14, 1919	35th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ 34th ⁽⁸⁾ 35th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾	Democrat	Henderson / Rusk	Senate President Pro Tempore (35th)	Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Shelby

(1) "Representatives for Texas Shown": W.T. Davidson of Marshall, in special election 11/20/1920, succeeded unexpired term of Lon A. Smith, elected comptroller 11/2/1920, p. 11, 11/21/1920. Galveston Daily News.
(2) Smith resigned 10/4/1920. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(3) "Democrats get 310,790 votes of 487,559 in Texas": Results of general election canvass announced. Lon A. Smith elected comptroller November 2, 1920, 12/18/1920, p. 1. San Antonio Express.
(4) "Democrats nominate Davidson," 11/3/1920, p. 9. T.W. Davidson nominated for the State Senate...to fill the vacancy created by resignation of Lon A. Smith of Henderson, elected State Comptroller. San Antonio Express.
(5) 36th Legislature - Member-elect in List of State Senators Elected at the General Election Held November 5th, 1918, oath of office administered, 1/14/1919, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(6) 35th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 8/3/1917, 2nd C.S. Senate Journal.
(7) 35th Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/9/1917, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(8) 34th Legislature - Elected November 3, 1914, oath of office administered to members elect, 1/12/1915, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.

Terms of Service top

Senate District 8
Jan 14, 1919 - Oct 4, 1920
Legislatures: 36th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Henderson / Rusk
Counties in district: Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Shelby

Senate District 8
Jan 12, 1915 - Jan 14, 1919
Legislatures: 35th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ 34th ⁽⁸⁾ 35th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾
Senate President Pro Tempore (35th)
(35th)
(35th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Henderson / Rusk
Counties in district: Gregg, Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Shelby

Biographical Information top

Selected newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

Leon A. Smith. Senate Journal. 35th R.S.

Biographical Sketches

Portrait and biographical sketch, Commander Lon A. Smith, Texas Division, S.C.V., Volume 30, Number 1, January 1922, p. 77. Confederate Veteran.
Alonzo Abner Smith of Henderson. Biographical sketch, Senate of the 35th Legislature, "A Look at the Affairs of State: The Real Names and Addresses of Thirty-one Senators With Additional Facts," The Houston Post, 3/22/1917, p. 6.
Alonzo Abner Smith, Comptroller of Public Accounts, born 3/13/1869 in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas. Biographical sketch, photo, and poem by Lon Smith, "Our State Departments and Those Who Conduct Them," The Austin Statesman, 9/4/1921, p. 5. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries). March 22, 1917 September 4, 1921
Smith, Lon A. Texas State Cemetery.
Biographical sketch, Hon. Lon A. Smith, Volume III, pp. 203-204. Texas Under Many Flags, 1930.

Other Resources

"Friends, State Employees Pay Last Tribute to Lon A. Smith," 10/24/1947, p. 26. "His body lay in state in the senate chamber prior to funeral services." Amarillo Daily News.
"Lon A. Smith to Quit Seat on Rail Board: Olan R. Van Zandt Decides to Run for Place on Commission," 4/21/1940, pp. 1, 6. Smith announced he would not be a candidate for re-election to the Railroad Commission; former State Senator and Comptroller. Dallas Morning News.
Obituary, "Lon A. Smith is Death Victim," 10/22/1947, p. 3. Lubbock Morning Avalanche.
Mentioned in "Chronological Listing of Key Events in the History of the Railroad Commission of Texas (1866-1939)." Railroad Commission of Texas.
Railroad Commissioners Past through Present, with dates of service. Railroad Commission of Texas.

Photographs

Photograph. Lon A. Smith, 36th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Lon A. Smith, 35th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Lon A. Smith, 35th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Lon A. Smith, 34th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

34th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber gallery, south wall. 3E.5). State Preservation Board.
35th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
36th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

36th R.S. - 1919 Agricultural Affairs (Vice Chair) Constitutional Amendments Governor's Nominations Insurance and Banking (Chair) Labor Public Health State Affairs State Penitentiaries
35th R.S. - 1917 Central Investigating Committee Counties and County Boundaries Educational Affairs Enrolled Bills Insurance and Banking Labor Nominations of the Governor Public Health Roads, Bridges and Ferries State Affairs
34th R.S. - 1915 Bubonic Plague Appropriation Investigation Constitutional Amendments Counties and County Boundaries Educational Affairs Engrossed Bills Internal Improvements Judiciary No. 1 Labor Public Printing (Chair) Public Roads, Bridges and Ferries State Affairs

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