Thomas Vernor Smith (April 26, 1890 - May 24, 1964) was an American scholar and politician from Illinois, as well as an officer in the United States Army. Smith was born in Blanket, Texas, on April 26, 1890. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1915, and from the University of Chicago in 1922. Smith entered the Army during World War I and served as a private until discharged on January 28, 1919.
Smith was a member of the faculty of Texas Christian University from 1916-1918, the University of Texas from 1919-1921, and the University of Chicago from 1923-1948. He authored numerous books, and served as editor of the International Journal of Ethics from 1931-1948. Smith began his political career as a member of the Illinois State Senate from 1935 until 1938, and was the chairman of the Illinois Legislative Council in 1937 and 1938. Smith was subsequently elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth United States Congress, from January 3, 1939 through January 3, 1941. Smith failed to be reelected in 1940 for another term.
During World War II, Smith returned to the Army as a lieutenant colonel and later as a colonel, serving from 1943 to 1946. He was the director of education of the Allied Control Commission in Italy from November 24, 1943, to November 11, 1944. In 1948, Smith resumed his profession as a writer and teacher at the University of Syracuse until his retirement in 1959. He resided in Hyattsville, Maryland until his death there on May 24, 1964. Smith is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
