Descriptive Summary
Smith, Wilford B., 1884-1939
Smith, Wilford Bascom Pitchfork, papers
1905-1940
Materials are written in English.
1940; 67-114
7 1/2 in.
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin
Comprised of correspondence,
articles, poems, publications, a scrapbook, and other items, the Wilford Bascom
Pitchfork Smith Papers, 1905-1940, concern
Smith’s publishing career and political stances.
Biographical Note
Born in Oklahoma, publisher Wilford Bascom Pitchfork Smith (1884-1939) grew up in North Texas, where his father
preached in Methodist churches. Graduating from East Texas Normal College, now East
Texas State University, Smith taught public school before starting the Enloe
Ensign newspaper. After the paper failed, he moved to
Kansas City, Missouri, where in 1905 he passed the Missouri bar and married the
widow Blanche Le Seur, with whom he had one daughter, Doris. Two years later, Smith
began publishing Plain Talk, later renamed The Pitchfork, which criticized local politics and race
relations, provoking public burnings of the monthly magazine. Moving to Dallas,
Texas, in 1908, Smith continued publishing the magazine and in 1914 began advocating
Georgism, which promoted economist Henry George’s theories. As a proponent of social
justice, Smith supported prison reform, worker’s rights, and the repeal of
prohibition.
Source:
McEnteer, James.
Smith, Wilford Bascom.
Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed February 25, 2011.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsm46.
Scope and Contents
Comprised of correspondence, articles, poems, publications, a scrapbook, and other
items, the Wilford Bascom Pitchfork Smith Papers,
1905-1940, concern Smith’s publishing career and political stances. Correspondence,
1905-1940, primarily contains letters about articles in
The
Pitchfork as well as his friend’s lives from Smith’s readers,
colleagues, and friends, including Opie Read, Frank P. Walsh, William E. Sayle, Jr.,
and Governor James E. Ferguson. Publications, 1908-1939, include obituaries for
Smith, The Pitchfork Scrapbook, copies of his
speeches, newspaper clippings, and issues of The
Pitchfork, which contains articles on politics in Texas, opinions on
specific newspapers and their editors, racial issues, and the influence of the Ku
Klux Klan and other organizations in state and national politics. Twelve photographs
depict Smith, his wife Blanche, and possibly the family’s dog. Smith’s scrapbook
contains a handwritten list of quotes and newspaper clippings on presidential
elections by Frederic J. Haskin. Typescript articles and poems by Smith include
The Hills,
The Maiden,
The Test of a Man,
Henry Ford’s Impudence, and The Strange Case of Robert M. LaFollette, among
others. Additionally, the collection consists of a 1908 certificate and oath of
office for Smith from the Kansas City Department of Engineering and a biographical
sketch on Smith by Nova Dickson.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research use.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Smith, Wilford B., 1884-1939 -- Archives.
Smith, Blanche Le Seur.
Read, Opie Percival, 1852-1939.
Walsh, Frank P.
Sayle, William E., Jr.
Ferguson, James Edward, 1871-1944.
Subjects
The pitchfork (Dallas, Tex.)
Periodical editors -- Texas.
Periodicals -- Publishing -- Texas.
Places
Texas -- Periodicals -- 20th
century.
Texas -- Politics and government --
20th century.
Kansas City (Mo.) -- History -- 20th
century.
Dallas (Tex.) -- History -- 20th
century.
Preferred Citation
Wilford Bascom Pitchfork Smith Papers, 1905-1940,
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processing Information
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe
Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.
Detailed Description of the Papers
Inventory