John William Smith

John W. Smith (April 12, 1882 – June 17, 1942) was a long-time member of the Detroit City Council and was twice mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Early life John W. Smith was born in Detroit on April 12, 1882, the son of John W. and Gertrude Wax Smith. His father died when Smith was five years old, leaving the family poor. He began working as a newsboy when he was six years old. He quit school in the fifth grade, and worked as a pin-setter in a bowling alley and a newsboy, furthering his education on his own at the library. He started boxing at a young age, then joined the army at the age of fifteen to fight in the Spanish–American War, staying on to fight in the Philippines for some time. On his return to Detroit in 1901, Smith attended the University of Detroit for a year, simultaneously becoming a journeyman pipefitter. He next joined the Detroit Shipbuilding Company as a pipefitter. Smith married Marie General; the couple had two children: Dorothy and John W., Jr.