Preston Smith (governor): Difference between revisions

Former Texas Governor '''Preston Earnest Smith''' ([[March 8]], [[1912]] - [[October 18]], [[2003]]) was born in [[Williamson County, Texas]] in a tenant farming family with 13 children. He graduated from [[Texas Tech University]] and built a movie theater business by the mid 1940s. Smith was first elected to the [[Texas House of Representatives]] in [[1944]] and then to the [[Texas State Senate]] in [[1956]]. In [[1962]] he was elected [[lieutenant governor]] and then in [[1968]] he was elected [[governor of Texas]], a position he held from [[1969]] to [[1973]]. Smith was embroiled in the [[Sharpstown scandal]] [[stock fraud]] scheme of [[1971]] and [[1972]], which eventually led to his downfall. Smith lost his third bid for the governorship of [[Texas]] to [[Dolph Briscoe]] in the Democratic primaries in 1972.