Smoot, Guy Thomas

Guy Thomas Smoot, born in Burlington, Iowa, on October 6, 1888, was an enterprising merchant and hotel operator in Mendota, California. He was the eldest child of Edward Price Smoot, a blacksmith and importer of blooded horses, and Sarah Young Smoot. After completing his grammar and high school education, he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of seventeen in February 1906. He served as a yeoman aboard the West Virginia, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, until receiving an honorable discharge in October 1909. Deciding to remain in California, he joined the Associated Pipe Line Company as an inspector, foreman, and bookkeeper working from McKittrick to San Francisco.

In 1914, Mr. Smoot married Miss Marie Arnaudon, daughter of Mendota pioneer A. J. Arnaudon, and resigned his position with the pipe line company to lease and run the local Arnaudon Hotel and store. That same year he was appointed postmaster at Mendota, holding the office until he re-entered military service. During World War I, he enlisted in the Navy in August 1917 and served as chief yeoman at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, as well as at San Pedro and the Mare Island Navy Yard, until he was mustered out on February 27, 1919. While he was away, his wife successfully managed both the mercantile business and the post office, where she continued as postmaster upon his return. Politically a Democrat and fraternally affiliated with Sunset Lodge, No. 193, Knights of Pythias, Mr. Smoot built a successful trade and contributed significantly to the civic and commercial life of Mendota.