The Irrepressible Al Smith, Governor of New York, Al Smith electrified New York City, and he also gained the support of Catholics and wets in many eastern and northern urban communities. As this portrait conveys, Al Smith became a figure larger than life as his 1928 presidential campaign against Herbert Hoover became a lightning rod for the major issues of the day. Unlike the many negative images of Smith, this drawing suggests his patriotism and his ability to unite large and diverse urban communities. Source: Robert J. Nagle, American Conservatism: An Illustrated History (1989).