Charles Rhodes Smith (March 20, 1896
Education and early career
Born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, the son of Richard Henry Smith and Marion Sarah Marshall, Smith was educated at the University of Manitoba and Oxford University, receiving M.A., LL.B. and B.C.L. degrees. He worked as a barrister, and was also a lecturer at the Manitoba Law School. From 1935 to 1941, he served as an alderman in the City of Winnipeg. Smith was also a member of the O.C. 104th Company, and received the rank of Major in 1941. In 1924, he married Luella Gertrude Lick.
In the 1941 provincial election, Smith was a star candidate for the Liberal-Progressives in the Winnipeg constituency.