Gomer Smith, Sr., was born in Missouri, graduated from Rockingham Academy in Kansas City and was admitted to practice law in 1918. Known as Oklahoma’s “perennial candidate,” he was only successful once at his bid for public office in 1937 and once introduced a resolution into Congress seeking a constitutional amendment to prevent drunkenness in the U.S. and all its territories. But it was as a trial lawyer that Gomer Smith was famous across the state. Described as one who could “roar until reluctant witnesses felt like crawling under a convenient table…or woo a jury like a Hindu snake charmer,” Smith worked tirelessly in helping secure a “fair shake” for old age pensioners and for the establishment of sound laws governing organized labor.