Irish History Corner

The First Irish Catholic American Presidential Candidate 

The first Irish Catholic United States presidential candidate was not John F. Kennedy; it was Alfred E. Smith. Smith was the first politician of national stature to rise from the ranks of the American Catholic immigrants. His father was a Civil War veteran. His mother’s parents were from County Westmeath, Ireland. As a youngster, Alfred served as an altar boy and was strongly influenced by the Catholic priests he worked with. His faith had a lasting impact on political beliefs. From the beginning of his political life, Smith identified himself as a defender of Irish immigrants and a champion of the working man.

Smith started his climb up the political ladder by first being elected as a NY State Assemblyman. Next, he was elected as Sheriff of NY County. In 1918, he was encouraged to run for NY governor. He narrowly won that election, but in 1920 he was defeated. Yet, in 1922, he secured his second of what would be 4 terms as NY governor. As NY governor, he fought for adequate housing, improved factory laws, proper care of the mentally ill, child welfare, and the expansion of state parks. He became nationally known as one who worked hard to make government more efficient and more effective. 

It should be noted that Smith came to Binghamton at least 3 times. In October 1924, Smith gave a speech in Binghamton, where it was reported a ‘red-fire’ parade with 6 bands greeted him. In his speech, Smith promoted support for the mentally ill and assailed his opponent, Col. Theodore Roosevelt. Also, in 1924, he decided to run as a candidate for president. He was unsuccessful. The successful candidate was a lawyer named John Davis, who then proceeded to lose the general election to Calvin Coolidge. However, in 1928, Al Smith did become the candidate to run against US Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover. Hoover won the election, and one year later, the stock market crashed. The Great Depression had begun. Hoover’s policies were often cited as deepening the effects.

Several factors are seen as contributing to Smith’s loss: He was not a particularly good campaigner; his “city” accent had little appeal among rural voters when heard on the radio; his “wet” (anti-prohibition) attitude didn’t help with southern voters; many opposed his support for immigrants; and his Catholicism, which led to Ku Klux Klan opposition. Writer Frederick Wile stated Smith was defeated by “the 3 P’s: Prohibition, Prejudice, and Prosperity”. After the election, Smith became president of the corporation that built the Empire State Building. Smith arranged for construction to begin on St. Patrick’s Day 1930. On that day, he declared, “I am to be an Irish landlord of a building that houses more than 10,000 people than the City of Binghamton and more than 3 times as many people in the largest village in the State”. John F. Kennedy, said in 1960, “ the figure of Al Smith remains large against the horizon, true, courageous, and honest ... he served his country well, and having served his country well, nobly served his God.” Al Smith should not be forgotten, he was an important historical figure who did his best to support the Irish, working people, his State, and his nation. 

- submitted by Bill Burke. 

Sources:The Irish Story 3/16/2023 The Man Who Wanted to be President by John Joe McGinley,: Presidential History blog Al Smith: The The “3-P” loss of 1928 3/28/2022 Father Foster, NY Times October 16,1924 NY Times.com, 1929 Inside the Greatest Crash 1925 by Andrew Sorkin.