Al Smith

Location: Al Smith Playground, Monroe & Catherine Streets
Sculptor: Charles Keck Year installed: 1950 From forgotten-ny GOV. AL SMITH (1873-1944) He was defeated in 1928 for the Presidency against Herbert Hoover, suffering through a grueling campaign in which he suffered countless attacks, especially in the South, for his Roman Catholicism. Despite his staunch Democratic Party membership, he opposed Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and supported Roosevelt's Republican opponents in the elections of 1936 and 1940.The plaza in which Al Smith's statue stands is relatively unvisited these days, and the pavement in front of the statue is cracked, pitted and neglected.Alfred Smith was born on the Lower East Side, worked in the Fulton Fish Market and later a pump factory. He was elected assemblyman at age 30 and later became Speaker. "The working man's friend", he championed the Workmen's Compensation Law, banning corporate campaign contributions, and women's suffrage. He was elected Governor of New York three times, the first in 1918.

I came across this on a search for Al Smith
From: "Michael A. Palmieri"
Subject: Re: [{ITA-SICILY-L}] How about lower Manhattan ... 1950's
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 13:16:09 -0400
References: <4c.ac89291.2a005123@aol.com>

Fellow Listers,

To set things straight St. James RC Church is not torn down and is still an active parish the church is located at 28 James Street and the rectory is around the corner at 23 Oliver Street On another note yes Jimmy Durante was born and raised in this same "Little Italy" or "Lower East Side " neighborhood which is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. He grew up on Catherine Street and his mother owned a Cafe' with my Great Grandmother Angela "Manteo" Arra. The cafe' was located on the lower level of the # 80's block of Catherine Street. Yet another topic on Al Smith. He was also from this neighborhood and was a parishioner of St. James RC Church and in the mid 1920's was a sponsor to my grandfather Michele Palmeri for his Confirmation at St. James. In fact he was a sponsor for all the confirmation participants for that year and possibly others years during this time. Michele's parents Francesco Palmeri and Rosaria "Sadie" Arra were also married at St. James in 1908. I have the original documentation for both events. My families origins in the USA are all in this neighborhood including Catherine, Monroe and Cherry streets. Portions of these blocks no longer exist as mentioned in an earlier post. The portions of the blocks that were torn down did in fact become the new home of the Alfred E. Smith Houses. This is a huge housing complex of large apartments that is populated by some of our countries newest immigrants.