Wint Smith

Who was Wint Smith?

Wint Smith was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.

Born in Mankato, Kansas, Smith attended a public school and graduated from Mankato High School. During the First World War he served in the United States Army as a combat infantry officer from May 11, 1917, to September 4, 1919, with twenty-four months' service overseas. He attended the University of Kansas in 1920 and the Yale Law School in 1922. He was admitted to the bar in 1923 and commenced practice in Kansas City, Kansas. He was admitted to practice in all Federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court in 1934. From 1931-1940 he served as assistant attorney general and he was Attorney for the Kansas Highway Commission from 1932-1940.

In 1933, the Kansas Legislature authorized the Highway Commission to hire 10 Motor Vehicle Inspectors, increasing this number to 26 by November 1933. The legislation authorizing these inspectors charged them with the duty to patrol state highways as much as possible. In 1935, Governor Alfred Landon issued orders to the inspectors to "curb banditry" as far as the law would premit. With Landon's support, and statewide police jurisdiction, the inspectors' war on crime began.