Landrine Jehu Tatum (1832-1924)

From the Kansas City Word and Way, July 31, 1924.

   A native son of Ash County, North Carolina, Landrine Jehu Tatum was called to the ministry at an early age, and prior to his permanent settlement in Missouri held pastorates in both Georgia and Arkansas. Following settlement in Missouri in 1864, Tatum's ministerial work in the Baptist church extended over five decades, and briefly graced the political stage in 1886 when he was an unsuccessful aspirant for the Missouri House of Representatives from Hickory County. Born in Ash County on February 22, 1832, Landrine Jehu Tatum was the son Buckner and Behethland (Sheriff) Tatum.

  The majority of Tatum's formative years were spent in the state of his birth, and at age 13 removed with his family to Gilmer County, Georgia. Two years later he was called to the ministry, and in October 1847 was baptized in the Mountaintown Baptist Church. Shortly afterward a church was organized in the neighboring settlement of Pleasant Hill, where Tatum was named as church clerk. After being licensed to preach in 1851, Tatum began a teaching career in Gilmer and Murray County that would extend over a year and later undertook theological study at Mercer University in Georgia.

  Following ordination in April 1856, Tatum left Georgia for Arkansas, and after a brief residency there removed to Texas, where he taught school for several months. He later returned to Arkansas where during the Civil War he ministered "to both Federals and Confederates." Tatum married in May 1863 to Margarette Jane (Clonts) Sheriff (1835-1914), a widow with three children from a prior marriage. The couple's five-decade union saw the births of four daughters, Theodosia (1864-1930), Georgia (1866-1958), Margaret (1869-1872), and a child who died in infancy.

  In 1864 Tatum left Arkansas for Missouri and soon after his resettlement in Hickory County entered into a pastorate at the Mt. Moriah Church in Dooley Bend. Three years following his establishing roots in that community Tatum became a founding member of the Old Path Baptist Association, and after its organization served as its clerk and moderator at various times over the next three decades. Tatum's work for the church also saw him affiliated with the American Baptist Publican Society, as a distributor of religious publications.

  Landrine J. Tatum's lone foray into Missouri politics came in 1886 when he garnered the Democratic nomination for state representative from Hickory County. One of three candidates in that year's contest, Tatum would place second to incumbent Republican William Lucas Snidow (1829-1903), who had served six prior terms in both the state senate and house of representatives.

From the Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1887-88.

  The latter portion of Tatum's life saw him continue prominence in Baptist church work, and in 1914 suffered the death of his wife Margarette. He celebrated his 90th birthday in 1922 and later died at the home of his daughter Theodosia on April 21, 1924, aged 92. He was later interred at the Dooley Bend Cemetery in Galmey, Missouri.

From the History of the Polk County Baptist Association, 1897.

Urcil Wilford Smoot (1899-1957)

From the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, October 26, 1950.

   The "Show Me State" yields another strangely named political figure in one Urcil Wilford Smoot of Daviess County, Missouri! I'll admit that I got an immediate chuckle out of Smoot's unusual first name "Urcil", which bears a slight resemblance in spelling to "Uracil", an important chemical compound that is part of Ribonucleic acid, responsible for "hereditary characteristics". While his name is certainly funny, Mr. Smoot maintained a reputation as a prominent resident in Raytown, Missouri, where he owned and operated an auto dealership. In addition to his business activities, Smoot was a three-time candidate for the Missouri State Legislature, being defeated on all three occasions.

   This lifelong resident of Missouri was born in the small town of Nelsonville on November 7, 1899, a son of Sobeska Taylor and Lillian Samuel Smoot. No information could be located on Urcil's early life in Nelsonville or the extent of his education. A veteran of the First World War, Urcil Smoot served in the U.S. Navy during that conflict, being recruited at Peoria, Illinois. From May-October 1917 he served as a Hospital Apprentice Second Class at Great Lakes Training Station, and after a short stint at the Naval Hospital in Annapolis went aboard the USS Columbia as a Pharmacist Second Class, serving on this ship from December 1917 to November 11, 1918. 

   After being discharged from service in 1919 Smoot returned stateside and married in Bexar County, Texas in 1921 to Ruth Elizabeth Williams (1900-1988), later having two children, William Taylor Smoot (1923-2007) and Elizabeth May Smoot (birth-date unavailable.) Following his marriage, Urcil Smoot was affiliated with the "Dahl and Dewitt" Chevrolet dealerships in Kansas City, and from 1928-36 owned and operated the "Smoot Chevrolet agency" in the city of Raytown. Beginning in the early 1930s he began a stint as President of the Raytown Chamber of Commerce, and after retiring from auto sales in 1936 was the owner of a farm located in the village of Lock Springs, Missouri.

   In 1942 Smoot made his first run for public office, launching a candidacy for the Missouri House of Representatives from Daviess County. Smoot's opponent in that year's election was another oddly named Daviess County resident, Urlin Eldreth Salmon (1870-1953), profiled here back in February of 2013. In a truly unique contest that pitted a man named Urlin against a man named Urcil, it was Urlin E. Salmon who claimed victory, defeating Smoot by a narrow vote margin, 2, 578 to 1, 892.

   Two years following his defeat Urcil Smoot was again the Democratic candidate for a seat in the state legislature from Daviess County, this time facing off against Republican Charles H. Bryant. He was dealt another loss on November 7th, 1944, losing to Bryant by a vote of 3, 541 to 2, 583. With two losing candidacies behind him, Smoot turned his attention to other aspects of public service in the late 1940s, serving as the Commander for the Department of Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars for a one-year term in 1946. Smoot's obituary (published in the May 29, 1950, Kansas City Star) notes that while he may have been an unsuccessful aspirant for public office, he was "active in the promotion of legislation designed to benefit veterans and their dependents."

   In 1950 Urcil Smoot once again entered the political field, announcing his candidacy for the Missouri State Senate from the 16th district. As the Democratic senatorial candidate, Smoot's opponent in that year's contest was incumbent Republican W.R. "Fred" Walker, who had served in the senate since 1942. Despite having run two previous losing candidacies for the legislature, Smoot's campaign was highlighted in the October 26, 1950 edition of the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, which ran a large ad on his candidacy. This ad (shown below) touted his potential legislative agenda if he was elected, noting that:

• He would sponsor legislation to promote "economy in government" whenever possible.
• To build more roads in rural Missouri.
• Improve the school system of every area in the state.
• To stimulate progress for Missouri and all Missourians.

                                                    The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, October 26, 1950.

   Despite a campaign promise to have his voting record guided by the welfare of "labor, veterans, farmers, and the small business man"  it was W.R. Walker who emerged victorious, besting Smoot that November by a 2,099 vote margin, 19,663 to 17, 564. Following this defeat, he retired to private life in Lock Springs, and from 1952-54 was a member of the Daviess County Democratic Committee. Urcil Wilford Smoot died at age 57 on May 28, 1957, and was survived by his wife and two children. Following her death in 1988, Ruth E. Smoot was interred alongside her husband at the Jamesport Masonic Cemetery in Jamesport, Missouri.