Cyrus R. Smith
| C. R. Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 18th United States Secretary of Commerce | |
|
In office March 6, 1968 – January 19, 1969 |
|
| President | Lyndon Johnson |
| Preceded by | Alexander Trowbridge |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Stans |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Cyrus Rowlett Smith September 9, 1899 Minerva, Texas, United States |
| Died | April 4, 1990 (aged 90) Annapolis, Maryland, United States |
| Resting place |
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Manget Smith |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Texas |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army general |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Cyrus Rowlett "C. R." Smith (September 9, 1899 – April 4, 1990) was the CEO of American Airlines from 1934 to 1968 and from 1973 to 1974. He was also the wartime deputy commander of the Air Transport Command, and United States Secretary of Commerce for a brief period under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He is regarded as one of the titans of U.S. airline history.
Smith was born on September 9, 1899, in Minerva, Texas, to Roy Edgerton Smith and the former Marion Burck. Smith attended the University of Texas despite never having graduated from high school.
Upon his graduation, Smith worked as an accountant for the accounting firm of Peat Marwick Mitchell and later ran a number of businesses, including a Western apparel store and a firm that sold state records of new mothers to manufacturers of baby supplies. Smith's abilities were first recognized by Texas industrialist Alva Pearl Barrett, who in 1928 set up the airline Texas Air Transport (TAT), which became Southern Air Transport. Smith joined SAT as a vice president in 1929, and through a series of mergers SAT became part of American Airlines. American's owner, E. L. Cord, hired Smith to run the nationwide network based on his able management of Southern operation. In 1934, he became president of American Airlines.
He married the former Elizabeth L. Manget, in Dallas, Texas, on December 29, 1934, but the bride gave up on "being married to an airline." They had one son, Douglas Smith.
In business, he was known for an informal, no-nonsense leadership style that stressed close relationships with both executives and employees. Convair president Jack Naish noted that "you can close a $100 million deal on his word alone." He generally communicated through personally typed one-page memos. Smith was said to know every American employee by name until the end of his first term as CEO. He fostered a close relationship with Douglas Aircraft that led American to become a key adopter of the Douglas DC-3 and DC-6: he was also one of the early proponents of what is now LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
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