Sam Smith | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg/1280px-Seattle_City_Councilmember_Sam_Smith,_1990_(49996191026)_(cropped).jpg) | |
| President of the Seattle City Council | |
| In office 1986–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Norm Rice |
| Succeeded by | Paul Kraabel |
| In office 1974–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Liem Eng Tuai |
| Succeeded by | Phyllis Lamphere |
| Member of the Seattle City Council for Position 3 | |
| In office 1968–1992 | |
| Preceded by | Ray Eckmann |
| Succeeded by | Sherry Harris |
| Member of the Washington House of Representative from the 37th District | |
| In office 1959–1967 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Stokes |
| Succeeded by | George Fleming |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1922 Gibsland, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 16, 1995(1995-11-16) (aged 73) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marion King (d. 1991) |
| Alma mater | Seattle University University of Washington |
| Occupation | Politician |
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Samuel J. Smith (July 23, 1922 – November 16, 1995) was a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 1959–1968 and served on the Seattle City Council for 24 years, including eight as president of the council. He was the first African-American to serve on the Seattle City Council.
Early life and education
Smith was born on July 21, 1922, in Gibsland, Louisiana to Steve and Bernice Smith.[1] His father was a Baptist minister and farmer, and his mother was a teacher.[1] In 1942, Smith was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Seattle, before serving in the Philippines during World War II.[1][2]
At the end of the War, Smith returned to Seattle, and moved to the Central District where he married his wife Marion.[2][3] He went on to receive degrees from Seattle University (Social science, 1951) and the University of Washington (Economics, 1952).[4] Smith was the first Black student to enroll at Seattle University, followed by Millie Bown Russell, who graduated before him.[5][6]
After college, Smith went to work for the Boeing Company for 17 years.[4][7]
Political career
Washington State Legislature
Smith's political career started in 1956 when he unsuccessfully ran for the Washington House of Representatives for the Washington's 37th legislative district against Republican Charles Stokes.[8][9] In 1958, he challenged Stokes again and won.[7][8] Smith became the fourth African-American to win a seat in the state house, as well as the second from King County.[7][10]
In the legislature, Smith was a vocal proponent of civil rights legislation.[2] One of his first acts in the legislature was to introduce a bill that would have banned discrimination based on race or religion in the rental or sale of homes, which failed.[7] In 1967, the Open Housing Act passed in his final term, a high point in his career.[4] The same year, Smith was honored as Legislator of the Year by the Young Man's Democratic Club.[1]
Smith served five consecutive terms until 1967, when he left to seek a seat on the Seattle City Council.[2]
Smith's wife, Marion King Smith, campaigned for Smith's former seat in the legislature in 1970, but was defeated by Republican Michael Ross.[1] Smith would later attribute Ross' victory over his wife to a defection of Smith's traditional allies among the district's black leaders, who were "afraid that the power in the black community was too centered on me."[1]
Seattle City Council
Smith ran for the Seattle City Council in 1967 after Ray Eckmann retired from the council.[8][11] He defeated Bob Dunn in the general election 53% to 47%, becoming the first African-American Seattle City Councilmember.[8][12] Additionally, Smith and Art Fletcher, elected in Pasco that year, became the first African-American city councilmembers in Washington State.[13] Smith would win in large margins in his next four reelection bids.[12]
Smith served as president of the city council for eight years and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Seattle four times during his council tenure.[7] He also chaired the Public Safety Committee, Housing and Human Services Committee, Labor Committee, and the Utilities Committee.[4]
Smith was a fiscal and moral conservative who focused his legislative priorities on alleviating urban concerns, especially among Seattle's minorities.[1][9] In 1968, he spearheaded the municipal Open Housing Law, which prohibited discrimination in housing, and passed the council unanimously.[2][8] Smith also successfully pushed for the city to hire more black firefighters and police officers after he found out that there was only one in each department.[7][9] He also pushed against rate increases in Seattle City Light during his tenure.[9]
In 1985, the municipal league named Smith "Outstanding Legislator of the Year."[1][8] The same year, Governor Booth Gardner designated "Sam Smith Day" in his honor.[8]
In 1991, Smith ran for reelection for a seventh term, facing Boeing engineer and activist Sherry Harris.[14] In the general election, Harris defeated Smith 65% to 35%.[4][12] There were various reasons for Smith's defeat, including long hospitalizations due to complications from diabetes, the passing of his wife, and to the mobilization of Seattle's LGBT community, who were upset with some of his socially conservative positions.[2][9][15]
Death and legacy
Smith suffered from ill health in his later years and lost a leg to diabetes in 1985 and his right leg in 1991.[2][9] He died at his home in the Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle on November 16, 1995, at the age of 73.[9] The Interstate 90 lid in Seattle was named Sam Smith Park based on nominations from the community, the Washington Black Heritage Society and the Urban League of Greater Seattle.[16]
See also
- Washington Oral History Project
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Samuel J. Smith - An Oral History" (PDF). app.leg.wa.gov.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Seattle City Councilmember Sam Smith". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Washington State Legislature - Samuel J. Smith: An Oral History".
- ^ a b c d e "Sam Smith Records, 1977-1991". Archive West. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "1933-1948: Depression, War and Peace". Seattle University. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ^ Srinivasan, Tanvi (February 10, 2023). "Notable Black Seattleites You Should Know About". Seattle Met. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Henry, Mary (1998). "Smith, Sam (1922-1995)". historylink.org. HistoryInk. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Scates, Shelby (January 22, 2007). "Samuel J. Smith (1922-1995)". BlackPast. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Large, Jerry (November 17, 1995). "Sam Smith, 'Everyone's Neighbor,' Dies -- Former Seattle Councilman Was 73". Seattle Times. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "Washington State Senate Members of Color Caucus". Washington State Senate Democrats. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ McNerthney, Casey (May 22, 2011). "P-I archive: The story behind the American Apparel building". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ a b c "General and Special Elections". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ Kossen, Bill (January 1, 2000). "100 Years In The Northwest". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
- ^ "Harris, Sherry D." Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
- ^ Flint, Tom (November 8, 1991). "Sherry Harris Wins!". Seattle Gay News. University of Washington. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ McVicker, Katie (February 23, 2015). "Seattle Parks and Recreation remembers Sam Smith". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
