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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The distinguished agricultural leader, Earl
3 Clemmons Smith, was born in Pike County on February 19, 1881
4 and began farming his grandmother Clemmons' land in Detroit
5 Township in 1907; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Earl Smith became active in the national Farm
7 Bureau movement as farmers began to organize to strengthen
8 their political clout, and he was a charter member and
9 President of the Pike County Farm Bureau; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Earl Smith was elected President of the Illinois
11 Farm Bureau in 1926 where he served through 1945; and he served
12 as Vice President of the American Farm Bureau Federation from
13 1936 to 1945; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Earl Smith was active in the fight for "parity for
15 agriculture," a goal that sought government action to help
16 farmers achieve income levels comparable to those earned from
17 1910-1914, a time of profitability for farmers; his work was
18 reflected in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first and second
19 Agricultural Adjustment Acts; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Under Earl Smith's leadership, the Illinois Farm
21 Bureau established businesses to help serve farmers such as

 

 

HR0208 - 2 - LRB095 11593 KXB 33416 r

1 GROWMARK, Inc., and the FS Member Companies, Prairie Farms
2 Dairy, Inc., and Country Insurance and Financial Services;
3 these are among the largest and most successful businesses in
4 Illinois; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In retirement, Earl Smith continued to farm in
6 Pike County where he died on June 30, 1961; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Earl Clemmons Smith was a clear voice and a steady
8 leader for agriculture, a pioneer who advanced the philosophy
9 that farmers need to take action to protect their futures and
10 cooperate with others to achieve success; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Pike County Farm Bureau, the Illinois Farm
12 Bureau, and the Illinois State Historical Society will dedicate
13 a historical marker to recognize the contributions of Earl C.
14 Smith on March 23, 2007 at Detroit, Illinois; therefore, be it
 
15     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17 proclaim March 23, 2007 as Earl C. Smith Day, recognizing his
18 significant contributions to agriculture in the State of
19 Illinois and the nation.