Smith W. Brookhart

Smith Wildman Brookhart
Brookhart in 1924
United States Senator
from Iowa
In office
November 8, 1922 – April 12, 1926
Preceded byCharles A. Rawson
Succeeded byDaniel F. Steck
In office
March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933
Preceded byDavid W. Stewart
Succeeded byRichard L. Murphy
Personal details
Born(1869-02-02)February 2, 1869
Arbela, Missouri
DiedNovember 15, 1944(1944-11-15) (aged 75)
Prescott, Arizona
Political partyRepublican
Children6; including Florence Brookhart Yount

Smith Wildman Brookhart (February 2, 1869 – November 15, 1944), was twice elected as a Republican to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. He was considered an "insurgent" within the Republican Party. His criticisms of the Harding and the Coolidge administrations and of business interests alienated others in the Republican caucus and led to his ouster from the Senate over an election challenge.

Brookhart's absence from the Senate was brief, as he took the first opportunity to return by challenging and defeating the state's senior Republican senator. He was also a strong supporter of Prohibition and its enforcement, so as public support for prohibition waned, the same occurred to his political career.