Benjamin A. Smith II

Benjamin Atwood Smith II
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office December 27, 1960 – November 6, 1962
Appointed by	Foster Furcolo
Preceded by	John F. Kennedy
Succeeded by	Edward M. Kennedy
Mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts
In office 1954–1955
Preceded by	Joseph J. Grillo
Succeeded by	Beatrice Corliss
Personal details
Born	March 26, 1916 Gloucester, Massachusetts
Died	September 6, 1991 (aged 75) Gloucester, Massachusetts[1]
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester.[2]
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Barbara M. Mecham[2]
Children	R. Russell II, Benjamin A. "Punky" III, Barbara S. Ramsey, Susan S. Crotty, and Cathleen Smith.[2]
Alma mater	Harvard University
Awards	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal
Military service
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1941-1945
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	World War II

Benjamin Atwood Smith II (March 26, 1916 – September 6, 1991) was a United States Senator from the state of Massachusetts from December 1960 until November 1962.

Family and education

Smith, who was named for his grandfather Benjamin A. Smith,^[3] was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts to R. Russell and Grace Smith.^[3] He married Barbara M. (Mechem) of Lake Forest, Illinois and Annisquam, Mass.^[4] They had five children, sons, R. Russell Smith 2d and Benjamin A. Smith 3d, an ice hockey player and coach, and daughters, Barbara (Smith) Ramsey, Susan (Smith) Crotty, and Cathleen Smith.

Smith attended the Gloucester public schools.^[3] Smith was captain of the 1933 Gloucester High School football team under coach Nate Ross.^[3] He later graduated from Governor Dummer Academy and Harvard University. While at Harvard, Smith played fullback on the football team under coach Dick Harlow.^[3] At Harvard, Smith was a roommate of John F. Kennedy.

Military service

Smith served in the United States Navy for four years^[3] during World War II. While he was in the Navy, Smith served in the Pacific as Commander on an anti-submarine, anti-torpedo vessel.^[2]

Public service

Smith served as a member of the Gloucester School Committee, the Gloucester City Council and was a trustee of the Addison Gilbert Hospital.^[3] Smith served as Mayor of Gloucester from 1954 to 1955; however, at the time Smith was mayor, Gloucester had a Plan E form of government. The office of mayor was a ceremonial position, the mayor was a city councilor chosen by that body and the actual city administration was carried out by a professional city manager.

Business career

For many years Smith was the chief executive of his family's business, the Merchants Box Company in Gloucester.

Senate appointment

John F. Kennedy resigned from the Senate on December 22, 1960, after he was elected President of the United States. Kennedy, who had been reelected to a second Senate term of six years in 1958, advised Gov. Foster Furcolo of Massachusetts to appoint Smith to fill the vacated seat "in the interest of promoting party unity." Critics said Smith, a close friend of the Kennedy family, was intended all along to simply be a "seat-warmer" until the President-elect's brother Edward M. Kennedy turned thirty (the minimum age provided by the U.S. Constitution for eligibility to serve in the Senate). Smith served as Senator until November 6, 1962, when Edward Kennedy, his duly elected successor, was chosen in a special election.

Special ambassador

In 1963, President Kennedy named Smith as the chairman of the U.S. delegation to the North Pacific Fisheries Conference^[5][6] involving the United States, the Soviet Union, Canada and Japan.^[3]

Death and burial

Smith died after a long illness in the Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester.^[3]

Notes

1. "Benjamin Smith, 75, U.S. Senator in 1960's". The New York Times. September 28, 1991. p. 27, § 1, New York ed. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
2. "Benjamin A. Smith II, adviser to Kennedys, 75". The Boston Herald. September 28, 1991. p. 35.
3. "Benjamin Atwood Smith 2d, at 75; former senator, Kennedys' adviser". The Boston Globe. September 27, 1991. p. 23.
4. Cass, Judith (August 14, 1939). "Barbara Mechem's Engagement to New Englander Announced". The Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 13.
5. "The Presidency: Amid Affairs of State". Time. May 17, 1963. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
6. "Deaths; Benjamin A. Smith II". The Washington Post. September 28, 1991. p. B4.

External links

• United States Congress. "Benjamin A. Smith II (id: S000517)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-01-23

"Benjamin A. Smith II". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-01-23.