"Rabble? That's Me!": Alfred E. Smith

October 22, 2012 by Pat McNamara

Continued from Page 1

Yet through it all, Smith's biographer writes, "the greatest source of happiness in Al's life was his marriage." He died in 1944, not long after his wife's death. While doctors attributed the death to a heart condition and lung congestion, many believed he died of a broken heart. A Knight of St. Gregory and a Papal Chamberlain, he was buried at St. Patrick's Cathedral. There, an estimated 200,000 people filed past his coffin.

In the end, New Yorkers did not remember an embittered ex-candidate. They remembered the kid from the Fourth Ward who rose from poverty to challenge notions of what a presidential candidate should be. They remembered the man who never forgot his roots, who fought for their rights. They remembered the man that Roosevelt himself once called "the Happy Warrior of the Political Battlefield."

Page: 2 of 2

12/2/2022 9:05:40 PM

Catholic

In Ages Past

History

Christianity

Roman Catholicism

more at patheos

Top of the Country: I Knew It I Knew You

Coyle Neal

A God-Like Jesus, or a Jesus-Like God?

Roger E. Olson

The Poor Have Rights—and Responsibilities

Dennis Knapp

Steven Curtis Chapman Releasing Spanish "Cinderella" Duet

DeWayne Hamby

About Pat McNamara

Dr. Pat McNamara is a published historian. He blogs about American Catholic History at McNamara's Blog.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos