Editing C. R. Smith (section)

==Political career==
Smith was exceptionally well-connected politically, beginning with a Fort Worth and Texas base. He was close friends with many prominent Texan politicians, including [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Jesse H. Jones|Jesse Jones]] and [[Sam Rayburn]]. Smith was also on very close terms with the Roosevelt family, especially [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] and her son [[Elliott Roosevelt (general)|Elliott Roosevelt]].<ref name="Hunter">{{cite web |title=Jan.14. Thursday Night, Casablanca |url=http://www.roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu/exhibits/affectionately-fdr/ |website=Roosevelt House - Public Policy Institute at Hunter College |access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref> Eleanor Roosevelt would habitually call on Smith for travel arrangements.<ref name="Papers">{{cite web |title=My Day November 4, 1938 |url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1938&_f=md055102 |website=GWU.edu - The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers |access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="GWU">{{cite web |title=My Day July 20, 1940 |url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydocedits.cfm?_y=1940&_f=md055637 |website=GWU.edu - Eleanor Roosevelt papers |access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref> Smith introduced Elliott to his second wife, served as best man, and persuaded him to move to Fort Worth.

Smith's friendship with [[Lyndon Johnson]] was the principal reason for his accession to the [[Cabinet (government)|Cabinet]], and he became the [[United States Secretary of Commerce|U.S. Secretary of Commerce]] following the resignation of [[Alexander B. Trowbridge]]. Smith served until the age of 69, from March 6, 1968 until January 19, 1969.<ref name="Commerce">{{cite web |title=Secretaries of Commerce |url=https://www.commerce.gov/about/history/past-secretaries |website=US Department of Commerce |access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref> However, he often clashed with the civil service because of his aversion to bureaucracy: on his first day, he objected to having four secretaries and asked that three of them be fired.<ref name=Serling/> This culture shock caused him to leave his post after only serving for 11 months and enter his first retirement, before being called back to American in 1973.