Paving the way for women in politics was Margaret Chase Smith. Not only was she the first woman to serve in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, but she was also the first woman to be nominated as a candidate for the presidency by either of the two main political parties.
Margaret Chase Smith was an unstoppable political force. (newyorker.com)
She came into politics in an unconventional way but proved herself to be a tough lawmaker. She even took on Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist scare tactics. Through these colorized photographs, we will examine the incredible political career of Margaret Chase Smith.
Childhood
1963-Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Maine Republican, is shown seated behind her desk in her office, hand on typewriter. (Getty Images)
Born in Maine in 1897, Margaret Chase, the oldest of six children, graduated from Skowhegan High School in 1916. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse for a year before she took a job as a telephone operator for the Main Telephone and Telegraph Company. Within a few years, she left that job to go to work for the town newspaper, the Independent Reporter, a publication that was owned by a local businessman named Clyde Smith. Although he was 21 years older than Margaret Chase, the two began to date and were married in 1930.
A Politician’s Wife
As her husband's personal assistant, Margaret Chase Smith was more of a partner than a secretary. (wsj.com)
Clyde Smith’s involvement in politics ignited a passion for public service in his wife, Margaret Chase Smith. In 1936, Clyde Smith was elected to represent Maine’s second district in the United States House of Representatives. Margaret dutifully followed her husband to Washington D.C. and worked as his secretary. In this capacity, Margaret took over her husband’s correspondences, wrote many of his speeches, conducted research on key issues, and managed the office staff. In her spare time, Margaret joined the Congressional Club, a group that was made up of the wives of congressmen. She even took on the role of treasurer for this club.
An Unconventional Path into Politics
Margaret Chase Smith assumed her late husband's seat in the House of Representatives. (roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu)
Clyde Smith suffered a heart attack in early spring of 1940. Severely ill and incapacitated, Smith released a press release. In it, he stated his desire for his wife to run for his seat in the House of Representatives should anything happen to him. He noted, “I know of no one else who has the full knowledge of my ideas and plans or is as well qualified as she is.” When Clyde Smith died in early April, Margaret Chase Smith was elected in a special election to complete her husband’s term. At the end of his term, she was elected on her own. In fact, she won reelection three more times.
A Senate Seat
Margaret Chase Smith had a number of political "firsts". (saturdayeveningpost.com)
Upon the retirement of Senator Wallace H. White, Jr. Margaret Chase Smith decided to run for his Senate seat in the 1948 election. When she won, she became the first woman in history to serve in both branches of Congress. Additionally, she was the first female from the state of Maine to represent her state in the Senate.
The “Declaration of Conscience” Speech
Smith stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy and denounced his anti-communist tactics as a "witch hunt." (washingtonpost.com)
Shortly after Margaret Chase Smith was sworn into her Senate seat in January of 1949, a fellow Republican senator, Wisconsin’s Joseph McCarthy launched his aggressive anti-Communist activities. His accusations of closet Communists infiltrating the U.S. government turned into a virtual witch hunt, ruining the careers of several respected politicians, as well as celebrities and businesspeople. On June 1, 1950, Margaret Chase Smith presented a speech, which became known as the “Declaration of Conscience” speech, on the floor of the Senate. In it, she denounced the level of hate, fear, and threats surrounding Senator McCarthy, although she was careful not to accuse him by name. She declared that she did not want to see the Republican Party succeed by smearing the good names of others. This speech thrust Margaret Chase Smith into the national spotlight.
Repercussions of the Speech
Smith aimed for the highest office in the land. (newyorker.com)
Six of her fellow Republican senators signed Margaret Chase Smith’s declaration. Senator McCarthy began calling Smith “Snow White” and the six senators as the “Six Dwarfs.” In retaliation for her outspokenness, McCarthy had Smith removed from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, on which she sat as a member. He also financed the campaign of her opponent in the next election, hoping to see her elected out of office. His efforts failed. Smith later noted, “I spoke in condemnation of McCarthyism when the junior senator for Wisconsin had the whole Senate paralyzed with fear that he would purge any senator who disagreed with him.”
Presidential Aspirations
Smith lost the Republican nomination to Barry Goldwater. (archives.gov)
After Margaret Chase Smith so publicly stood up to Joseph McCarthy, her name was batted around as a potential vice president candidate for the 1952 presidential election. That never happened. Ahead of the 1964 election, however, Margaret Chase Smith made her presidential aspirations clear. She ran in several presidential primaries for the Republican Party and even took her campaign to the Republican National Convention. There, she became the first woman nominated for the presidency for a major political party. In the final voting, Smith lost the nomination to Senator Barry Goldwater.
