John F. Kennedy was America's first Catholic president, but Smith was the first Catholic presidential nominee when he ran against Herbert Hoover in 1928, a time when many Americans were still openly anti-Catholic. There were other reasons for Smith's defeat, such as the nation's contentment under a Republican administration, but the margin by which Smith lost and the bigotry he faced during his campaign caused anger among Catholics and ultimately led to a decrease in anti-Catholic feeling over the next decades.
Bain News Service via Library of Congress
