then to hand the administration back to the Italian Government: "The readjustment in educational matters … called for patience, tact and good will on both sides. Col Smith had all those virtues." Adding to the challenges, nearby Mount Vesuvius awoke with one of its most violent eruptions, which overwhelmed five towns. Smith was charged with responsibilities of organizing military efforts to track and mitigate the disaster. In 1948, Smith resumed his profession as a writer and teacher at the Syracuse University until his retirement in 1959. Smith married Nannie Stewart, they had two children, a son Gayle and a daughter Nancy. He resided in Hyattsville, Maryland until his death there on May 24, 1964 Smith is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Further reading Marguerite Martyn, "'Women Are Born Politicians,'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 25, 1936, image 32 (interview and photograph) External links Guide to the Thomas Vernor Smith Papers 1934-1945 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center References 1890 births 1964 deaths Democratic Party Illinois state senators United States Army officers Texas Christian University faculty United States Army personnel of World War I University of Texas at Austin alumni University of Chicago alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War II