Frank L. Smith (November 24, 1867 - August 20, 1950) was an Illinois politician. He served as a United States congressman from 1919 to 1921. He was elected by the people of Illinois to the United States Senate in 1926, but the Senate never allowed him to take his seat. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ...

He first ran for the Republican nomination for the US Senate in 1920. In that first year of suffrage, women's votes were counted separately from men's. He was beating William B. Mckinley by 27,000 votes after the male votes were counted, but once the female votes were counted Mckinley had won by 11,000 votes. Mckinley went on to win the general election. The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party [1]), is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

In 1921, Smith became the chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commision, which oversaw utilities in the state. He prepared to run again for the Senate in 1926. At the time, Illinois had no campaign finance laws. Smith collected donations from several wealthy executives who ran public utilities, including $125,000 from Samuel Insull. He used this money to defeat Mckinley in the Republican primary held in the summer of 1926. Smith went on to win the general election held in November of that year, although Julius Rosenwald offered him $550,000 of Sears, Roebuck & Company stock to withdraw. Campaign finance refers to the means by which money is raised for political election campaigns. ... Cover of Time Magazine (November 29, 1926) Samuel Insull (1859 – July 16, 1938) was a investor who was primarily known in Chicago, Illinois for purchasing utilities and railroads. ... Julius Rosenwald Julius Rosenwald (born August 12, 1862 in Springfield, Illinois - 1932) was a U.S. merchant and philanthropist. ... Sears, Roebuck and Company (NYSE: S) was founded in Chicago, Illinois as a catalog merchandiser in 1886 by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. ...

Mckinley, whose lame duck term would normally extend until March of 1927, died in December of 1926. The governor appointed Smith to fulfill the rest of Mckinley's term. When Smith went to present his credentials as the appointed Senator, the US Senate voted to not allow him to qualify as a senator, based upon fraud and corruption in his campaign. He tried to again qualify as the elected Senator in March of 1927, but was again denied. He finally resigned his seat on February 9, 1928. A lame duck is an elected official currently in office whose replacement has been chosen, but not yet formally sworn in. ...

References

Frank L. Smith, 82, Lost Senate Seat, New York Times, August 31, 1950, p 22.