Tom K. Smith
Chairman
Boatmen’s Bank
Laureate 2006
Born in 1882 in Glenwood, Missouri, Tom K. Smith started out selling hardware for his father, gaining the ideals and values necessary to create a viable entrepreneurial enterprise, and building a reputation of philanthropy and respect. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri in 1904, the school placed Tom in charge of its World’s Fair Exhibit at which Tom built a successful janitorial business. Tom then held highlevel positions at the university and in 1915 helped form the banking investment firm of Kaufman, Smith, & Co. In 1929, they merged with Boatmen’s Bank, and Tom took over the bank presidency until elected board chairman in 1947. While president of Boatmen’s, Tom implemented innovative programs that lent money to Depression-crippled businesses, was elected president of the American Banking Association in 1936, and served on a committee dedicated to re-opening Depression-closed banks. He also worked as Under Secretary of the Treasury, chaired President Roosevelt’s committee on mobilization of human needs, and served as financial advisor to the Navy’s Office of Procurement and Material during World War II. Tom campaigned tirelessly for an efficient, fiscally responsible government, helping institute a new Missouri Constitution. He served as president of the Board of Curators for the University of Missouri, chairman of the St. Louis Social Security Commission, and on the board of National War Fund, Inc., the American Telephone and Telegraph Co, the General American Life Insurance Co, the Wabash Railroad Co., and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Tom was a steadfast, energetic supporter of his country, equally at home in his small Missouri hometown as he was amongst the politicians of Washington DC.
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