Al Smith
A street-smart son of the Lower East Side who became the first Catholic to run for president, championing urban progress against a rising tide of nativism.
1873–1944 (age 71)·American politician·Birthday: December 30·The Gilded Age
Biography
Al Smith's story is the story of New York City itself. Born in 1873 to Irish-immigrant parents, he left school after the eighth grade to work on the Fulton Fish Market, absorbing the rhythms and needs of the working class. His political education came from the clubhouses of Tammany Hall, but he transcended the machine's corruption with a genuine, reformist zeal. As a state legislator and four-term governor of New York, he was a workhorse for the Progressive Era, pushing through groundbreaking laws on factory safety, housing, and parks. His 1928 presidential run was historic—he was the first Catholic nominee of a major party—but it was also brutal. He faced vicious anti-Catholic sentiment and was painted as a dangerous urbanite by a predominantly rural, Protestant nation. His landslide loss to Herbert Hoover couldn't erase his legacy: he proved an urban, ethnic candidate could reach the highest level, paving the way for a new Democratic coalition that would later elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, his own political protégé.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Al was born in 1873, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Al Was Born
The biggest hits of 1873
Al's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1873Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1886Became a teenager
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could drive
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1891Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Turned 21
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 30
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 40
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 50
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 60
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 70
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1944Died at 71
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
Key Achievements
- Served four terms as Governor of New York, implementing a sweeping array of social welfare and labor reforms.
- Was the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1928 election.
- Played a key role in drafting and passing New York State's landmark labor and social welfare legislation following the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
- Helped establish the modern system of state parks and parkways in New York as head of the Taconic State Park Commission.
Did You Know?
He was known by the nickname 'The Happy Warrior,' a phrase taken from a poem by William Wordsworth.
Despite leaving school early, he mastered the details of government through self-study and became a formidable legislative expert.
He famously wore a brown derby hat, which became part of his public image.
After his political career, he became the president of the company that built the Empire State Building.
““All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.””
