During his time in public office he served as a cabinet minister in different portfolios in the government of Peter Lougheed.

His paternal grandfather, Christian Schmidt, had immigrated with his family from Germany first to the United States and then later to the Wetaskiwin area in the early 1900s.

He was credited with either 8.5 or 10.5 aerial victories (sources differ), including two large Junkers troop-carrying planes, and with sinking two ships.

On Christmas Day 1942 he parachuted out of his plane over Malta and through good fortune landed on the island itself, suffering only a twisted leg.

[1] He came home on leave in August 1943 and was feted as Millet's air ace, before travelling on to visit his parents at Ma-Me-O Beach, Alberta.

This time he won by a landslide margin over three other candidates to pick up the seat for the governing Progressive Conservative party.

[8] Schmidt was promoted to Minister of Agriculture on March 23, 1979 and served in that position until he retired from politics at dissolution of the legislature in 1982.