RightDataUSA


Ralph Smith

[Congressional biography]

Born: October 6, 1915 in Granite City, IL
Died: August 13, 1972 in Alton, IL

Education:

  • Illinois College, 1937
  • Washington University at St. Louis Law School, 1940

Military Service:

  • U.S. Naval Reserve, 1941-1942
  • U.S. Navy, 1942-1946

Career:

  • Lawyer

Elected Office:

  • IL House, 1954-1969 (Speaker, 1967-1968)
  • Appointed to the U.S. Senate on September 17, 1969 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Everett Dirksen



Key Senate Vote Data for Ralph Smith in 1969


Key vote data shown on this page comes from the American Conservative Union (ACU/CPAC) and Voteview.


Click on the RESULT of a specific vote to see how all members voted.

DateSubjectResultConserv.
Position
Smith
Voted
1969-10-14 Governors' Vetos of OEO Programs [S3016] Agreed To
(45-40)
No Vote
Murphy (R-CA) amendment giving Governors veto power over legal services projects and eliminating the Office of Economic Opportunity director's right to override a Governor's veto on legal services programs.

1969-11-10 Urban Renewal Funding [HR12307] Rejected
(34-36)
Hart (D-MI) amendment increasing funds for urban renewal by $587.5 million.

1969-11-13 Haynsworth Supreme Court Nomination Rejected
(45-55)
Rejection of President Nixon's nomination of Clement F. Haynsworth Jr. as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Haynsworth was actively opposed by organized labor and civil rights groups.

1969-12-01 Oil Depletion Allowance [HR13270] Rejected
(30-62)
No Vote
Ellender (D-LA) amendment restoring to 27.5 percent the depletion allowance on oil and gas.

1969-12-06 Graduated Minimum Tax Bracketing [HR13270] Rejected
(24-52)
No Vote
Kennedy (D-MA) amendment substituting a four-bracket, graduated minimum tax in place of the 5-percent minimum tax on individuals approved by the Finance Committee.

1969-12-12 Military Aid to Greece [HR14580] Agreed To
(45-38)
No Vote
Dodd (D-CT) amendment eliminating the prohibition on further grants of military aid to Greece.

1969-12-15 U.S. Troops in Laos and Thailand [HR15090] Agreed To
(73-17)
Church (D-ID) substitute for pending Cooper (R-KY)-Mansfield (D-MT) amendment stating that in line with the expressed intention of the President, no funds in the bill could be used to finance the introduction of U.S. ground combat troops into Laos and Thailand.

1969-12-17 Weaken School Freedom-of-Choice Language [HR13111] Agreed To
(52-37)
Scott (R-PA) amendment adding the words "except as required by the Constitution," at the beginning of the section barring use of funds to force a school district to take action involving busing of students, abolition of any school, or assignment of any student to any particular school against the wishes of his parents. This amendment watered down the House-passed freedom-of-choice school desegregation plan. The freedom-of-choice plan was opposed by the Nixon administration.

1969-12-20 Block Aid to Taiwan [HR15149] Agreed To
(39-29)
No Vote
Mansfield (D-MT) motion to table the conference report on foreign aid appropriations for fiscal 1970. Mansfield and other Senators objected to the fact that the appropriations bill contained an amount higher than authorized. The most objectionable item from the Mansfield group's standpoint was $54.5 million for Nationalist China to purchase fighter aircraft. The item had been included by the House although the Nixon administration had not requested it.



  Represents a "Yes" vote.

  Represents a "No" vote.

  Indicates that this member voted against the conservative position on a particular vote.

"No vote" means that this member did not cast a vote (or voted 'Present' instead of Yes or No).