Smith, Wilford B., 1884-1939

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.

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