Robert E. Smylie

In January 1947, Smylie became a deputy attorney general in Idaho,[4] under newly elected Robert Ailshie.[5] That November, Ailshie unexpectedly died of a heart attack at age 39;[6] Smylie was appointed attorney general at age 33 by Governor C. A. Robins, and was elected to a full four-year term in 1950.[7]

Smylie ran for governor in 1954, as the seat was not eligible for re-election at the time and was held by Republican Len Jordan. Starting with the 1946 election, Idaho changed from two-year to four-year terms for governor, but with the change it disallowed self-succession (re-election). Smylie was elected governor at age forty in 1954 and successfully lobbied the 1955 legislature to propose an amendment to the state constitution to allow gubernatorial re-election, which was approved by voters in the 1956 general election.[8][9] Smylie, the first Idaho governor born in the 20th century, was re-elected in 1958 and 1962.

During his tenure, a state park system was created,[10] and a sales tax adopted. In February 1955, following a prompt from a BBC reporter, Smylie fast-tracked legislation to remove the anomaly of Idaho being the only one of the 48 states that did not observe George Washington's Birthday as a holiday.[11] While governor, Smylie served as chair of the Western Governors Association (1959–1961) and as chair of the Republican Governors Association. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1960.[12] Smylie served on the National Governor's Conference Executive Committee from 1956 to 1957, from 1959 to 1960, and in 1963.[13]

Smylie ran for a fourth term in 1966, but was soundly defeated (61–39%) in the Republican primary by his successor, Don Samuelson,[14] whom he had encouraged to run for the state senate six years earlier.[1] Smylie attributed his support of the newly implemented sales tax of three per cent in 1965 as a major factor in his defeat.[15][16][17][18] The sales tax was easily approved by voters in the November election;[19] it stayed at three per cent until 1983,[20] and is now six per cent.[21]

Leaving the governor's office after a dozen years at age 52, Smylie returned to the practice of law in 1967. He served as trustee, chair of trustees, and as acting president of the College of Idaho.[15]

Smylie was a candidate for the 1972 United States Senate election in Idaho,[22] but finished fourth in the Republican primary, won by Jim McClure.[23][24]