Smith quickly rose to prominence in the Racine legal community as a member of the law firm of then-district attorney Thorvald Beck. He made his first run for county office in 1924, when he ran as an independent Republican candidate for district attorney, but came in a distant third in the general election.[3][4] Smith subsequently became a partner to Beck in a law firm known as Beck, Smith, & Heft.
Smith also became active in the American Legion and other local associations, and was chairman of the Racine chapter of the American Legion by 1926 and president of the county bar association. In 1937, he was elected commander of the Wisconsin department of the American Legion.[5] Smith only served a year as commander, but remained active in the American Legion, and in 1939 he was advocating within the organization for an isolationist foreign policy in the face of another potential European war.[6]
In Congress
On July 8, 1941, Wisconsin congressman Stephen Bolles died in office, necessitating a special election to fill the rest of his term in the 77th United States Congress. Smith quickly entered the race for the Republican nomination. Foreign policy was the main issue in the election, as France had recently fallen to Germany and the United Kingdom was suffering under The Blitz. Smith continued to oppose the foreign policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but had switched to a more pragmatic position advocating the stockpiling of weaponry and war material in the United States, and endorsed the export of war material to the United Kingdom, though he still opposed any direct U.S. involvement in the war.[7] Smith narrowly prevailed in a crowded Republican primary, receiving 28% of the vote against six opponents.[8] He went on to face former congressman Thomas Ryum Amlie in the general election. Amlie, a former member of the Wisconsin Progressive Party, ran on strong support for Roosevelt's foreign policy. Smith won a resounding victory in the special election, receiving 63% of the vote.[8][9]
Smith immediately abandoned any lingering isolationist positions as soon as word arrived of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, three months after Smith won his election. According to newspapers at the time, Smith's messages to his constituents in Wisconsin disavowing his previous position came almost immediately after the arrival of the news of the attack.[10]
Smith went on to win re-election eight times, usually with landslide majorities.[11][12] His closest election was in 1948, when he received just 52% of the vote against former state representative Jack Harvey.[13]
Smith served for many years on the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs and his public statements were largely focused on foreign policy. After World War II, his foreign policy position gradually moved back toward isolationism, first with skepticism toward the Marshall Plan[14] and then stronger opposition to later foreign aid packages, notably opposing aide to Korea before the outbreak of the Korean War.[15] Smith was also an early advocate for arms control treaties to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and despite his opposition to many foreign aid packages, he was a staunch anti-communist.[16]
On domestic policy, Smith was opposed the growing power of the federal government and advocated for cutting federal spending. He also introduced an amendment to the United States Constitution to replace lifetime appointments for federal judges with ten year terms.[17] Toward the end of his life he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.[18]
Lawrence Smith married Eleanor J. Rowley in 1917. They were married in Texas, where Smith was then going through induction into the Army for service in World War I. They had three children together. Eleanor was deeply involved in Lawrence's work for nearly his entire career, playing a leading role in the women's auxiliary in the American Legion, and then working as a staffer in his congressional office.[19] After Lawrence Smith's sudden death, his wife stood for election to his seat in 1958, but she lost the general election to Democrat Gerald T. Flynn.
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