View source for Larkin I. Smith

{{short description|American politician}}
{{distinguish|Larkin Smith (Virginia politician)}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name           = Larkin I. Smith
| image          = Larkin I. Smith.jpg
| state          = [[Mississippi]]
| district       = [[Mississippi's 5th congressional district|5th]]
| term_start     = January 3, 1989
| term_end       = August 13, 1989
| preceded       = [[Trent Lott]]
| succeeded      =[[Gene Taylor (Mississippi politician)|Gene Taylor]]
| party          = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1944|6|26}}
| birth_place    = [[Poplarville, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date     ={{death date and age|1989|8|13|1944|6|26}}
| death_place    =[[Perry County, Mississippi]], U.S.
| alma_mater     = 
| profession     = Law enforcement officer
| spouse         = Sheila Smith
| residence      = [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], Mississippi
| religion       = 
}}

'''Larkin Irvin Smith''' (June 26, 1944 – August 13, 1989) was an American Congressman from [[Mississippi]] serving for seven months until he was killed in a plane crash in [[Perry County, Mississippi]] in 1989.

Smith was born in [[Poplarville, Mississippi|Poplarville]], Mississippi to Nona Orene Bounds and her husband Hezekiah K. Smith Sr. Smith was named after his maternal grandfather Larkin Bounds and his maternal uncle Irvin E. Bounds. He received his bachelor's degree from [[William Carey University]] and then served at various positions in the police forces in both [[Pearl River County, Mississippi|Pearl River]] and then [[Harrison County, Mississippi|Harrison]] counties. He became the police chief in [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]] and thereafter the Harrison County [[sheriff]].

In 1988, Smith ran for the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] as a [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] from [[Mississippi's 5th congressional district]] in the southern portion of the state after eight-term incumbent [[Trent Lott]] gave up the seat to make a successful run for the [[United States Senate|Senate]].

He defeated [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[Mississippi State Senate|State Senator]] [[Gene Taylor (Mississippi politician)|Gene Taylor]] and took office on January 3, 1989. However, Smith died on the night of August 13 in a plane crash in rural [[Perry County, Mississippi|Perry County]] near Gulfport after returning from opening the Little League baseball "Dixie Youth World Series" in [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi|Hattiesburg]]. The bodies of Smith and pilot Chuck Vierling were not recovered until the next morning after a search in which rescuers had to bulldoze their way through the forest. Smith's death came only six days after fellow Representative [[Mickey Leland]] of [[Texas]] died in a plane crash in [[Ethiopia]] on August 7, 1989.

Taylor would succeed Smith in a [[special election]] held some two months after the crash, beating Republican candidate Tom Anderson. Taylor was reelected every two years until 2010, when he was defeated by Republican State Representative [[Steven Palazzo]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Mississippi}}
* [[List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections

==External links==
* [http://www.infoplease.com/biography/us/congress/smith-larkin-i.html Infoplease biography of Smith]
* {{Find a Grave|6812598}}
{{CongBio|S000584}}
*{{C-SPAN|6105}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Larkin I.}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:American municipal police chiefs]]
[[Category:Law enforcement officials from Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Poplarville, Mississippi]]
[[Category:William Carey University alumni]]
[[Category:Mississippi sheriffs]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1989]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Gulfport, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]