Texas Governor Series: Mr. Smith Goes to Austin LbNA #75751

Preston Earnest Smith was born on March 8, 1912, near Corn Hill in Williamson County, Texas. He grew up one of 13 children of a poor tenant farmer. The family moved to Lamesa, Texas when he was 12, where he graduated from Lamesa High School in 1928. He worked his way through college at Texas Tech during the darkest days of the Depression. With a partner, he opened a movie theater in Lubbock and by 1944 he owned six theaters. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1945 and to the Texas Senate in 1956. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1962, then governor in 1968. He concentrated his efforts on working with the state's business interests. Smith was dedicated to improved higher education. He signed into law new universities and brought several existing colleges into the university system. He also helped establish new medical, dental, and law schools in the state. Criminal justice was also a focus of Smith's term, which saw the first comprehensive drug abuse program in Texas. Another focus was the passage of the first minimum wage law in the state. Many Texans also remember Smith's participation in the "Drive Friendly" auto safety campaign. Smith's second term was dominated by fallout from the Sharpstown scandal, which destroyed the career of House Speaker Gus Mutscher, derailed Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes, and resulted in the defeat of many long-term office-holders in the 1972 election. Smith returned to Lubbock after defeat in that election and was active in civic and business affairs. He attempted a comeback in 1978 but was defeated in the primary. He later worked as a political liason officer for Texas Tech University. He died in 2003 at the age of 91. He came back to Austin one more time and is buried in the State Cemetery.

Directions: The town of Corn Hill no longer exists. It has been absorbed by the town of Jarrell, Texas. From I35 in Jarrell take County Road 313 East. Turn right on Hugh Smith Lane and the cemetery will be right in front of you. It’s an old cemetery but a modern subdivision has grown up around it.

To the box: Park in front of the gate and historical marker. Go through the gate then toward to right back corner. About half way there, find the Ramsey family plot. It has a multi-trunk tree next to it. In the base of the tree, covered with a white rock. Be sure to replace just as you found it. Thanks for finding my Governor!