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"New York,
I sometimes believe, is not thoroughly studied or understood
in its relationship, not only to our nation, but to
the world."
Alfred Emanuel Smith, the first Roman Catholic to receive
the nomination of a major political party for the U.S.
presidency, was born in New York City on December 30,
1873. Leaving school after his father's death, Smith
worked a series of odd jobs to support his family, including
a famous seven-year stint at New York's Fulton fish
market. Through his friendship with a local leader of
Tammany Hall-New York's Democratic political machine-he
entered politics in 1895 as a county clerk, and in 1903
he was elected to the New York state assembly. In Albany,
he proved a skilled politician and an influential social
reformer. In 1913, he became speaker of the assembly
and in 1915 sheriff of New York County. Elected governor
of New York in 1918, he was defeated for reelection
in 1920 but regained the office in 1922 and was reelected
in 1924 and 1926. While governor, he achieved the passage
of much reform legislation, including improved factory
laws, better housing requirements, and expanded welfare
services. In 1928, Smith became the first Roman Catholic
to win the Democratic nomination for president. He campaigned
as a colorful champion of urban America. However, the
attack on Smith's Catholicism was often vicious, and
the election brought out nearly two-thirds of registered
voters. For the first time since Reconstruction, the
Republicans carried several Southern states, and Smith
was decisively defeated by Herbert Hoover, a conservative
Republican. After his electoral loss, Smith retired
to private life, and in 1929 he became president of
the firm that owned and operated the Empire State Building
in New York City. Smith later became an opponent of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, and in 1936
and 1940 he supported the Republican presidential candidate.
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