Scope and Content Note
The Howard J. Smith Collection consists of correspondence, press releases and newsclippings concerning federal legislation of Colorado River water rights and the related lobbying activities of the Central Arizona Project Association (CAPA) from 1946-1954.
Correspondence files in Box 1, Folders 1-5 are generally Howard Smith's incoming and outgoing correspondence and memoranda regarding CAPA activities and personal affairs. Correspondence of US Congressmen and Senators are generally brief responses to constituent inquiries regarding water rights issues and particular House and Senate bills. David Brinegar's Correspondence is comprised of incoming and outgoing letters, memoranda and telegrams that reveal details of negotiations with various Congressmen, Senators and lobbyists regarding various pieces of water-related legislation.
A calendar that describes each item in the collection is available from the reference archivist.
Dates
- Creation: 1946-1954
Creator
- Smith, Howard J., 1899-1954 (Person)
Language of Materials
Material in English
Access Restrictions
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
Arizona State University does not own copyright to this collection. Distinctive Collections recognizes that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.
Biographical Note
Howard J. Smith, public servant and executive secretary of the Central Arizona Project Association, was born May 19, 1899 at Kingman, Arizona. He was one of ten children of Anson H. and Mary Agnes Hughes Smith, Mr. Smith being the editor of the Mohave County Miner for over 50 years. Howard Smith attended public schools in Mohave County and served overseas during World War I.
After the war he was employed at various positions in the Kingman area until he was hired as a bookkeeper at the State Treasurer's Office at Phoenix in 1923. He became assistant state treasurer in 1925 and was appointed state land commissioner by Governor George W. P. Hunt in 1930. As land commissioner he inaugurated Arizona's first land conservation program in 1935 and eventually founded the Arizona Stockman magazine.
In 1946 he was selected to become the first executive secretary of the Central Arizona Project Association, a lobbying group dedicated to developing congressional support for water reclamation projects in Arizona. Smith died suddenly on February 18, 1954 after he was stricken at the Association office at the Goodrich Building in Phoenix.
Full extent
2 Box(es)
Full extent
0.75 Linear Feet
Abstract
The Howard J. Smith Collection consists of correspondence, press releases and newsclippings concerning federal legislation of Colorado River water rights and the related lobbying activities of the Central Arizona Project Association (CAPA) from 1946-1954.
Arrangement
This collection consists of two boxes.
Provenance
The Howard J. Smith Collection was donated to the Arizona Collection by David F. Brinegar in 1956 (ACC# 56-075).
Subject
- Smith, Howard J., 1899-1954 (Person)
- Title
- Howard J. Smith Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by: Robert P. Spindler in March 1994; machine-readable finding guide created by Michael Lotstein in June 2003.
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding guide encoded in English.
Repository details
Part of the Greater Arizona Collection Repository
Contact
Arizona State UniversityP.O. Box 871006
Tempe AZ 85287-1006 United States
(480) 965-4932
archives@asu.edu