Calvin L. Smith | |
---|---|
Member of the
Illinois House of Representatives from the 24th district | |
In office 1965–1969 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1907 Springfield, Ohio |
Died | 1968 Chicago |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Chicago |
Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Occupation | Pharmacist |
Profession | Politician |
Calvin L. Smith (1907-1968) was a pharmacist, coroner, and member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1965 until his death in 1968. [1] A Democrat, he represented the 24th District in the 74th and 75th sessions of the Illinois General Assembly. [2]
Born in Springfield, Ohio, Smith moved to Chicago at a young age with his family. [3] He became a pharmacist, receiving his pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and then owning and operating a pharmacy with his father for the next 15 years. [3] From 1951 to 1952, he was president of the Chicago Pharmacists Association. [1] He served as chief pharmacist of the Cook County Jail, [4] and was appointed deputy coroner of Cook County in 1961. [3]
An active participant in civil society, Smith was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Prince Hall Masons, and Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church. [5] He served in the 4th ward Democratic Organization, as captain of the 15th precinct and as executive secretary of the ward organization. [3]
Smith was first elected to the Illinois House in 1964. [1] The 1964 election was unprecedented in that the House's previous failure to approve a redistricting plan caused all representatives to be elected statewide. As a result, all 118 House candidates on the statewide Democratic slate were elected. In the 1966 election, Smith contended with fellow first-time representative James A. McLendon to represent the 24th District, with neither able to consolidate support within the Democratic Party organization. [6]
During his two terms of office, his contributions included his support of legislation to compensate teachers based on workload, and to establish apprenticeship programs for African American students. [1] In 1966, he was one of the four founding members of the study committee that gave rise to the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. [7]
On June 29, 1968, [5] during his second term, Smith died at Chicago's Michael Reese Hospital of a heart attack. [4]