{{Short description|Mississippi politician (b. 1932)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1932|2|2}} | office = President pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate | image = Marion Smith.jpg | caption = 1968 | term_start = January 1971 | term_end = January 1972 | state_senate1 = Mississippi State | term_start1 = January 1960 | term_end1 = January 1972 | district1 = 30th | birth_place = Natchez, Mississippi | predecessor = Merle Palmer | successor = B. G. Perry }}
'''William Marion Smith''' (born February 2, 1932) is a former Mississippi politician who served as a Democrat in the Mississippi Senate between 1960–1972.<ref name="eGrove 2019 c410">{{cite journal | title=Hand book : biographical data of members of Senate and House, personnel of standing committees [1968] | journal=Mississippi Legislature Hand Books | date=2019-07-11 | url=https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sta_leghb/12/ | access-date=2023-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 4, 1986 |title=Edmonds named finalist for UM law school post |pages=2 |work=The Northside Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/261171404/?terms=%22William%20Marion%20Smith%22&match=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1971-01-06 |title=Senate Chooses Smith as President Pro Tem |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger-senate-chooses-smith-as-p/153492944/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |work=Clarion-Ledger |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 9, 1971 |title=Sen. Smith Won't Seek Re-election |pages=1 |work=Clarion-Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/180482651/?terms=%22Marion%20Smith%22&match=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> From 1971 to 1972, Smith was the President pro Tempore of the Mississippi State Senate.<ref name=":0" /> He also served at one point as interim Governor.<ref name="Mississippi Historical Society q423">{{cite web | title=Marion Smith | website=Mississippi Historical Society | url=https://www.mississippihistory.org/marionsmith | access-date=2023-09-21}}</ref>
He was an attorney who taught at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He has served as president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, the Inter-Alumni Council of Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Historical Society, among other organizations.<ref name="Mississippi Historical Society q423" />
== Early life == William Marion Smith was born on February 2, 1932, in Natchez, Mississippi.<ref name="eGrove 2019 c410" /> He graduated from Natchez High School, and received B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi.<ref name="Mississippi Historical Society q423" />
==References== {{Reflist}}{{MS Senate Presidents Pro Tempore}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Marion}} Category:1932 births Category:Living people Category:Presidents pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate Category:Mississippi lawyers Category:Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Category:University of Mississippi faculty Category:20th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature
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