James Monroe Smith
Encyclopedia
James Monroe Smith, Sr. was the president of Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
, Louisiana
, during the 1930s
. He was imprisoned for forgery
, embezzlement
, mail fraud, and income tax evasion in what is known as the Louisiana Hayride scandals of 1939.
in rural Jackson Parish
in north Louisiana to John Henry Smith and the former Mary Adney Sims. He was educated at Valparaiso University
in Valparaiso
, Indiana
and at LSU, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1921. He engaged in graduate studies in 1922 at the University of Chicago
in Chicago, Illinois
. In 1925, he received a Master of Arts
from Columbia University Teachers College in New York City
. In 1927, he received his Ph.D.
from Columbia University
.
On July 3, 1914, Smith wed the former Thelma Ford, and the couple had two children, Marjorie Lee Smith and James Monroe Smith, Jr. He taught in rural schools from 1908-1910. In 1911-1912, he served on the faculty of t Eros High School in Eros
in Jackson Parish. He taught in the summer of 1917 at Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
. He was then on the LSU faculty in 1918 and from 1920–1923, he was assigned to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
, then known as Southwestern Louisiana Institute. He was dean of the ULL college of education from 1923–1930, when he was appointed president of LSU during the administration of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr. During Smith's tenure there, LSU enrollment grew from 2,100 to 8,550 students.
. Long boasted, "If there's any title I'm proud of, it's Chief Thief for LSU." Smith also benefited from lavish spending at the university. He installed his family in a campus mansion and bought a $3,000 car (then a large amount for a vehicle) at a time when most roads in Louisiana were still unpaved and when LSU faculty salaries were in arrears.
When the "Hayride" scandals claimed Governor Richard Webster Leche of New Orleans, he turned over the office to Huey Long's younger brother, then Lieutenant Governor
Earl Kemp Long. Smith, having just resigned as LSU president, was missing when Earl Long succeeded to the governorship. Students derided their former president as "Jimmy the Stooge." Three banks in Baton Rouge and New Orleans revealed that they had lent Smith $500,000 on notes that he had signed as the LSU president. The larger Fenner & Beane
brokerage house in New Orleans had asked Smith to withdraw $375,000 in LSU bonds which he had posted as collateral for speculating in wheat futures. The state attorney general declared the notes unauthorized and worthless. An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury
indicted Smith for embezzling $100,000. Broker Charles Fenner, later part of Merrill Lynch
, said that Smith had represented perhaps "a dozen friends" in the speculation.
For a week the whereabouts of Smith and his wife was unknown. They had traveled to Memphis
, Tennessee
, and returned to Baton Rouge, where he was arrested as a material witness. Then they surfaced in Brockville
in Ontario
, Canada
. Smith had purchased a $20,000 plane with only four seats for use to recruit athletes to LSU. This plane was sent to return Smith to Louisiana. If Mrs. Smith flew as well, the plane could accommodate only one law enforcement office. But Smith refused to be separated from his wife for the plane trip home, and the two instead drove back to Baton Rouge, with Smith vowing that he would yet clear his name.
In 1940, Smith pleaded guilty to three charges of forgery and one of embezzlement. He was sentenced to eight-to-twenty-four years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
at Angola in West Feliciana Parish north of Baton Rouge. He was also sentenced in U.S. District Court in 1945 to thirty months in the United States Penitentiary
in Atlanta
, Georgia, on charges of mail fraud and tax evasion. Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis
, like Smith a native of Jackson Parish, commuted Smith's state sentence, but Smith still served ten months in the Atlanta prison until he was paroled in February 1945 during the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
.
in Van Buren County, in east central Tennessee. In September 1948, Smith relocated to New Orleans and entered the real estate
business. He was soon named director of vocational rehabilitation at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where, oddly, he was to have been an inmate prior to his commutation of sentence by Governor Davis.
Smith was a member of the American Academy of Political Science
, Phi Kappa Phi
scholastic honor society, and Phi Delta Kappa
educators association. He was a Baptist
and a member of the Masonic lodge
. In 1927, Smith penned Training of High School Teachers in Louisiana. Smith was a golfer with interests also in bridge playing, football, and reading.
Smith died at the age of sixty of a heart attack
at Angola, Louisiana.
A 1935 photograph Smith with Huey Long by the late Fonville Winans can be assessed on-line.
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, during the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
. He was imprisoned for forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
, embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
, mail fraud, and income tax evasion in what is known as the Louisiana Hayride scandals of 1939.
Background
Smith was born near JonesboroJonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in rural Jackson Parish
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Jackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
in north Louisiana to John Henry Smith and the former Mary Adney Sims. He was educated at Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
in Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and at LSU, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1921. He engaged in graduate studies in 1922 at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. In 1925, he received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Columbia University Teachers College in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1927, he received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
On July 3, 1914, Smith wed the former Thelma Ford, and the couple had two children, Marjorie Lee Smith and James Monroe Smith, Jr. He taught in rural schools from 1908-1910. In 1911-1912, he served on the faculty of t Eros High School in Eros
Eros, Louisiana
Eros is a town in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 202 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.Former Northwestern State University President Arnold R. Kilpatrick was born in Eros...
in Jackson Parish. He taught in the summer of 1917 at Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. He was then on the LSU faculty in 1918 and from 1920–1923, he was assigned to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
, then known as Southwestern Louisiana Institute. He was dean of the ULL college of education from 1923–1930, when he was appointed president of LSU during the administration of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr. During Smith's tenure there, LSU enrollment grew from 2,100 to 8,550 students.
Scandal at LSU
When urged by his staff to install Smith as a "politically pliable" president for LSU, Huey Long was quoted as having asked, "Who the hell's Smith?" Time called Smith an "academic puppet," under whose tenure Long spent $13.5 million at LSU for buildings, a huge swimming pool, "professional" football players, and the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Long boasted, "If there's any title I'm proud of, it's Chief Thief for LSU." Smith also benefited from lavish spending at the university. He installed his family in a campus mansion and bought a $3,000 car (then a large amount for a vehicle) at a time when most roads in Louisiana were still unpaved and when LSU faculty salaries were in arrears.
When the "Hayride" scandals claimed Governor Richard Webster Leche of New Orleans, he turned over the office to Huey Long's younger brother, then Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The Office of Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current Lieutenant Governor is Jay Dardenne, a Republican...
Earl Kemp Long. Smith, having just resigned as LSU president, was missing when Earl Long succeeded to the governorship. Students derided their former president as "Jimmy the Stooge." Three banks in Baton Rouge and New Orleans revealed that they had lent Smith $500,000 on notes that he had signed as the LSU president. The larger Fenner & Beane
Fenner & Beane
Fenner & Beane was a brokerage firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally founded as Fenner Gatling & Beane in 1916, the firm was renamed in 1919. The firm was founded by the Beane Brothers, New Orleans cotton merchants, to manage their exposure to fluctuations in commodity prices.In 1941,...
brokerage house in New Orleans had asked Smith to withdraw $375,000 in LSU bonds which he had posted as collateral for speculating in wheat futures. The state attorney general declared the notes unauthorized and worthless. An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
indicted Smith for embezzling $100,000. Broker Charles Fenner, later part of Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
, said that Smith had represented perhaps "a dozen friends" in the speculation.
For a week the whereabouts of Smith and his wife was unknown. They had traveled to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and returned to Baton Rouge, where he was arrested as a material witness. Then they surfaced in Brockville
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Smith had purchased a $20,000 plane with only four seats for use to recruit athletes to LSU. This plane was sent to return Smith to Louisiana. If Mrs. Smith flew as well, the plane could accommodate only one law enforcement office. But Smith refused to be separated from his wife for the plane trip home, and the two instead drove back to Baton Rouge, with Smith vowing that he would yet clear his name.
In 1940, Smith pleaded guilty to three charges of forgery and one of embezzlement. He was sentenced to eight-to-twenty-four years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
at Angola in West Feliciana Parish north of Baton Rouge. He was also sentenced in U.S. District Court in 1945 to thirty months in the United States Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta is a medium-security federal prison for men in Atlanta, Georgia. It also has a detention center for pre-trial and holdover inmates and an adjacent camp for minimum security male inmates...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia, on charges of mail fraud and tax evasion. Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
, like Smith a native of Jackson Parish, commuted Smith's state sentence, but Smith still served ten months in the Atlanta prison until he was paroled in February 1945 during the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
Later years
In July 1946, Smith accepted the position as head of academic studies at Burritt Preparatory School for Boys in SpencerSpencer, Tennessee
Spencer is a town in Van Buren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.-Geography:...
in Van Buren County, in east central Tennessee. In September 1948, Smith relocated to New Orleans and entered the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
business. He was soon named director of vocational rehabilitation at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where, oddly, he was to have been an inmate prior to his commutation of sentence by Governor Davis.
Smith was a member of the American Academy of Political Science
American Academy of Political and Social Science
The American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
, Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
scholastic honor society, and Phi Delta Kappa
Phi Delta Kappa
Phi Delta Kappa is an US professional organization for educators. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. It was founded on 24 January 1906. Phi Delta Kappa also had a youth organization, called Xinos, girls, and Kudos, guys.-Membership:Currently, membership consists of students,...
educators association. He was a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and a member of the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. In 1927, Smith penned Training of High School Teachers in Louisiana. Smith was a golfer with interests also in bridge playing, football, and reading.
Smith died at the age of sixty of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at Angola, Louisiana.
A 1935 photograph Smith with Huey Long by the late Fonville Winans can be assessed on-line.