Edwin O. Smith - Misplaced Pages

American politician "E. O. Smith" redirects here. For the school named for Edwin O. Smith, see E. O. Smith High School. For the member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, see E. O. Smith (Cherokee politician).

Edwin O. Smith


Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office 1933–1960
Acting President of the University of Connecticut
In office 1908
Preceded by	Rufus W. Stimson
Succeeded by	Charles L. Beach

Personal details
Born	1871 Albany, New York, U.S.
Died	October 28, 1960 (aged 89) Willimantic, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Wesleyan University
Occupation	Politician, teacher, coach

Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1894	DePauw
1902–1905	Connecticut
Baseball
1902–1905	Connecticut

Head coaching record
Overall	18–17–1 (football) 13–9–1 (baseball)

Edwin Oscar Smith (1871 – October 28, 1960) was a Connecticut politician who served 28 years in the Connecticut House of Representatives and, from April through September, 1908, was president of the Connecticut Agricultural College, which is now the University of Connecticut.

Biography

Smith was born in Albany, New York. He attended Wesleyan University, graduating in 1893. He played professional baseball on teams in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Adirondacks region of New York and he was a baseball and football coach at Depauw University.

Between 1901 and 1916 he was a member of the faculty of the Connecticut Agricultural College (now the University of Connecticut) in Storrs, teaching English and economics. He served as the school's football and baseball coach for four seasons, from 1902 to 1905, compiling a 14–13–1 record in football and a 13–9–1 record in baseball. From April through September 1908 he held the school's interim presidency.

A Republican, Smith was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1932 and served 14 consecutive two-year terms in the House. He was seeking re-election to a fifteenth term when he died from a heart attack on October 28, 1960. He also was a member of the Connecticut State Board of Education between 1935 and 1939. As a state legislator, he played a significant role in the enactment of legislation related to education and served as chairman of the Legislative Committee on Education that in 1954 established a formula for state government financial support of public schools.

At the time of his death at the age of 89, Smith was the oldest and longest-serving member of the Connecticut General Assembly.

E. O. Smith High School

E. O. Smith High School, established in 1958 as a regional school to serve the towns of Ashford and Mansfield, is named for him. Originally part of the University of Connecticut campus, owned by the state, and operated by the university, it has been operated as a regional public school since 1987. In 1993 the town of Willington was added to the region served by the school.

Head coaching record

Football


Year	Team	Overall
DePauw (Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1894)
1894	DePauw	4–4
DePauw:		4–4
Connecticut Aggies (Athletic League of New England State Colleges) (1902–1905)
1902	Connecticut	4–3
1903	Connecticut	3–5
1904	Connecticut	5–3–1
1905	Connecticut	2–2
Connecticut:		14–13–1
Total:		18–17–1

Baseball

The following table depicts Smith's record as head baseball coach at Connecticut.

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall
Connecticut Aggies (1902–1905)
1902	Connecticut	3–1
1903	Connecticut	3–4
1904	Connecticut	3–1
1905	Connecticut	3–3–1
Total:		12–9–1

References

^ Rep. E.O. Smith, 89, of Connecticut dies, The New York Times, October 29, 1960
^ Betsy Pittman (2008), University of Connecticut President's Office Records: Edwin O. Smith, 1908, Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut, archived from the original on September 7, 2008
^ Rep. E.O. Smith, Dean of the House, Taken by Death, Meriden Journal, October 28, 1960
Connecticut Huskies Football History, NationalChamps.net website, accessed August 16, 2011
"University of Connecticut - SABR Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
Celebrating 50 Years Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Edwin O. Smith High School website, accessed August 18, 2011
^ School / Region History Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Edwin O. Smith High School website, accessed August 18, 2011
2018 Baseball Media Guide (PDF). uconnhuskies.com. pp. 40, 59. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.