Bob Smith

official photo of Bob Smith from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

Birth Name: Robert Clinton Smith

Place of Birth: Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 30, 1941

Ethnicity: Danish, Irish, English

Bob Smith is an American politician. A Republican, he served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire, from January 3, 1985 to December 7, 1990, and a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, from December 7, 1990 to January 3, 2003, among other duties.

He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2000.

Bob is the son of Margaret (Eldridge) and Donald Emanuel Smith. He is married to Mary Jo Hutchinson, with whom he has three children.

Bob’s paternal grandfather was named Emanuel Smith, Jr. (the son of Emanuel/Manuel Smith, Sr. and Mary K.). Bob’s grandfather Emanuel was born in Pennsylvania, to Danish parents.

Bob’s paternal grandmother was named Elizabeth C. H. Morrisey. Elizabeth was born in New Jersey.

Bob’s maternal grandfather was Clinton Walter Eldridge (the son of Walter Eldridge and Ida Smith). Clinton was born in New Jersey. Walter was the son of John Eldridge and Abigail “Abby” Hooper. Ida was the daughter of Andrew Smith.

Bob’s maternal grandmother was Letitia Margaret “Letty” Blake (the daughter of George Custer Blake and Mary Elizabeth Coffee). Letitia was born in New Jersey. George was the son of Caleb C. Blake and Letetia/Eletta/Letta/Lotty Jane McDowell. Mary Elizabeth was the daughter of Patrick Coffee and Mary.

Two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have served as Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey, from January 20, 1965 to January 20, 1969, and Walter Mondale, from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. Both were members of the Democratic Party.

Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were also the two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry who were nominated for President of the United States by a major party, Humphrey in 1968 and Mondale in 1984, both by the Democratic Party.

Mondale was also the Democratic Party’s nominee for re-election as Vice President in 1980. Aside of Humphrey and Mondale, three people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have been nominated for Vice President of the United States by a major party. They were/are:
*Earl Warren (1948; Republican; Warren was of Norwegian and Swedish descent)
*Lloyd Bentsen (1988, Democratic; Bentsen’s father was of Danish descent)
*Tim Walz (2024, Democratic; Walz’s paternal grandmother was of Swedish descent)

Bob is one of several people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry to have run a plausible or semi-plausible campaign for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States. Of these candidates, several won a major party’s caucus and/or primary. They were:
*Earl Warren (who sought the 1936, 1944, 1948, and 1952 Republican nominations; each time, won 1 state, California)
*Charles A. Christopherson (who sought the 1944 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Christopherson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Hubert Humphrey (Democratic; in 1952, he won 1 state, Minnesota; in 1960, he won 2 states; in 1972, he won 5 states)
*Joe Foss (who sought the 1956 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Foss’s father was of Norwegian descent)
*Henry M. Jackson (Democratic; ran in 1972 and 1976: in 1976, he won 4 contests; Jackson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Walter Mondale (1984, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 20 contests)

Other people of heavily Scandinavian heritage who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*George T. Mickelson (who sought the 1952 Republican nomination; Mickelson’s father was Norwegian)
*Pat Paulsen (who sought the 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996 nominations, usually Democratic; Paulsen’s father was Norwegian)
*Frank Carlson (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination; Carlson’s parents were Swedish)
*Lloyd Bentsen (who sought the 1976 Democratic nomination)
*John B. Anderson (who sought the 1980 Republican nomination, and was later an independent 1980 candidate; Anderson’s father was Swedish and Anderson’s mother was of Swedish descent)
*Gary Johnson (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination, and was the Libertarian Party’s 2012 and 2016 nominee for President of the United States; Johnson’s father was adopted by Danish and Norwegian parents, and was possibly himself of Scandinavian descent)
*Michele Bachmann (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Bachmann is of Norwegian descent)
*Jon Huntsman, Jr. (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Huntsman is of one eighth Swedish, one eighth Norwegian, and one sixteenth Danish, descent)
*Eric Swalwell (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Swalwell’s mother is of Swedish and Danish descent)
*Perry Johnson (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Johnson’s father was of Swedish and Norwegian descent)

Sources: Bob’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Bob’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Death record of Bob’s father – https://www.familysearch.org

Obituary of Bob’s father – https://usnamemorialhall.org

Bob’s paternal grandfather, Emanuel Smith, Jr., on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Emanuel Smith, Jr. on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Bob Smith (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Bob’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org