Reed Smoot (10 January 1862-9 February 1941) was a member of the US Senate (R) from Utah from 4 March 1903 to 4 March 1933, succeeding Joseph L. Rawlins and preceding Elbert D. Thomas. Smoot was also an Apostle of the LDS Church from 1900 to 1941, and he played a key role in turning Utah into a solidly Republican state by creating an alliance of Mormon and non-Mormon voters.
Biography[]
Reed Smoot was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States on 10 January 1862, the son of Mormon pioneer and Salt Lake City mayor Abraham O. Smoot. Smoot graduated from Brigham Young University and became a missionary in England, later becoming involved with the LDS Church hierarchy; in 1900, he became an Apostle. Smoot joined the Republican Party, and LDS president Joseph F. Smith approved of his decision to run for public office. He was elected to the US Senate in 1902, and his election was controversial due to concerns about the polygamous marriage practices of Mormons. He was re-elected several times, and he supported the establishment of the National Park Service and co-sponsored the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, the latter of which exacerbated the Great Depression. In 1932, Smoot was defeated for re-election by Democratic Party challenger Elbert D. Thomas, and he spent the remainder of his years in Salt Lake City as an LDS apostle.