Ralph Roy Smith

R. R. "Railroad" Smith (1880-1944) was born in Gonzales County to Alexander Frohock and Mary McGill (Mathews) Smith. Around 1907, Smith moved to Atascosa County where he opened a law practice and entered the newspaper business with a cousin. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1908, and during the Thirty-First Legislative session he solely sponsored a bill creating the Texas State Library and Historical Commission. Smith later served terms in 1911 and 1921. He moved his newspaper from Pleasanton to Jourdanton in 1909 and strongly advocated moving the county seat from Pleasanton to Jourdanton in 1910.

Jourdanton, Texas · United States