Bill Smith

Who was Bill Smith?

William T. Smith, better known as Bill "Cadillac" Smith, was a member of the New York State Senate from Steuben County, New York. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the state senate from 1963 to 1986. Upon his retirement, Randy Kuhl was elected as his replacement.

Smith was best known for his campaign against drunk driving, which stemmed from his daughter's death in a drunk driving related incident in 1973. He earned the "Cadillac" nickname after buying a Cadillac using money he gained from farm subsidies, which were intended to prop up crop prices by paying farmers not to grow crops. Smith, a fourth-generation farmer, drove the Cadillac around the district as a campaign prop demonstrating the largesse of the federal government's entitlement programs, which led to his election to the state senate, defeating a Republican incumbent. Smith was noted for his staunch fiscal conservatism, pushed for cost estimates on state bills, and voted against the state enrolling in Medicaid because he believed the cost would be much more than estimated. At one point he had reached the position of deputy majority leader.