Governor Al Smith: The ‘happy warrior’ with a ‘sense of fun’

Historical columnist Jonathan Smyth this week looks at Governor Al Smith, four-time Governor of New York, whose paternal grandfather hailed from Cavan...

‘From an exciting waterfront boyhood to four-time Governor of New York – without even an elementary school diploma! Al Smith’s formula for success is still good: fun, plus love of fellow man, plus deep religious faith’, wrote James A. Farley, former Postmaster General of the United States and chair of Coca Cola, and his co-author James C.G. Conniff in a biography on ‘Governor Al Smith’, which was published in 1959.

Smith enjoyed political life, no matter if he should win, or lose an election, he always did so with a strong handshake and a wide infectious grin beaming with positivity. James A. Farley, a personal friend of Al Smith, was inspired to write: ‘politics is not a dirty business, unless we allow it to be so’ and he believed, like his friend Al, that ‘politics should be a joyous, dedicated effort toward man’s advancement on earth’. In Cavan, there is a strong but disputed tradition that Al Smith’s grandfather had ancestral links to Drumbruckliss, Ballintemple, Co Cavan.

Alfred Emanuel Smith, the four times Governor of New York who became the first nominated Catholic Democratic candidate in the United States presidential election of 1928, was born in New York City, not too far from the Brooklyn Bridge, on 30th December 1873 to Joseph Alfred Smith and his wife Catherine Mulvihil. Al was proud of the area he grew up in and resided there all his life. The Mulvihill family were originally from Co Westmeath while Al’s grandfather paternal was said to have come from Co Cavan. On September 20th, 1928, the Belfast Telegraph lent credence to the story about Al Smith having a Cavan link when it stated that the ‘house, only one storey high, with thatched roof, situated on the edge of bogland in County Cavan, is the ancestral home of Governor Al Smith. The house, which is in the heart of a district noted for its sylvan beauty, was built many years ago’.

However, other accounts contradict the origin Smith’s paternal heritage, for example, on October 25, 2016, inThe Irish Times, Mark Phelan wrote in ‘An Irishman’s Diary’ about Smith whom he described as a ‘giant of the Irish diaspora’ whose father’s roots were ‘actually Italian’ having descended from a family by the surname of Ferraro. When the Ferraros came to New York, they changed their name into English which translated as Smith. Ferraro in Italian translates as blacksmith, a worthy trade in which many Irish Smith family were employed.

Early life

Joseph Alfred Smith was a ‘workaholic’ who died when Al was aged 13 years and his death was said to have removed any opportunity they may have had to bond. His mother therefore had a stronger influence over her son and always insisted that fun should always be a part of whatever one does in life, whether that might be running for president or saying prayers each night, and it was a lesson Al never forgot. He grew up in a tough neighbourhood wreaked with poverty, but through hard work, positivity, and good humour he overcame obstacles to rise as one of the Democratic party’s shining stars. His ‘well-timed humour’ saved many a debate in the Assembly down through the years and both Republicans and Democrats recalled that when his speaking time was up and the gavel came down, that Smith would laugh with ‘boyish surprise’ and continue to speak as the members laughed and shook their heads.

His childhood was one of poverty and Smith identified with the hardworking Irish Americans who pulled themselves up by the bootlaces to achieve success. He left school to get a job for $12 a week in the Fulton fish market where he learned more about the intricacies of human nature than he believed he might have if he stayed at school or went to college. Smith had an interest in drama and became a regular on the acting circuit, entertaining crowds and perfecting his oratorical style and timing which stood to him during the speeches he later made.

He was a ‘man of the people and identified with the working-class and the immigrants who arrived in the United States with hope in their hearts. He was an example of decency and a politician of integrity whose association with the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine, although necessary to electoral success, did not affect him. Since 1945, the annual Al Smith Dinner founded by Cardinal Francis Spellman is held in New York, to raise funds for Catholic charities to assist children in need in the Archdiocese of New York. Al Smith died in 1944, the year before the annual event was inaugurated.

Al Smith was married to Catherine Ann Dunn in 1900 and they had five children. It was said that as his financial means improved, he looked for a home with high ceilings, so he could breathe easy, as he disliked cramp conditions which reminded him of the house, he grew up in. Perhaps, Drumbuckliss was the Smith’s ancestral homeplace which if proven would be a terrific discovery.

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