Lamar S. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lamar S. Smith | |
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| In office 1987-present |
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| Preceded by | Tom Loeffler |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | November 19, 1947 (age 59) San Antonio, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer |
| Religion | Christian Science |
Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is a Republican politician from the state of Texas, currently representing the state's 21st congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives.
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[edit] Biography
Smith was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas, Yale University and Southern Methodist University School of Law. Smith is a Christian Scientist.
Smith has a house on Cape Cod, valued at between $250,000 and $500,000, according to his financial disclosure statement for the calendar year 2005. His residence in his own district is valued at $190,000, according to the Bexar County Appraisal District [1]. Smith said that he owns a one-third interest in a small rental house on Cape Cod, with no driveway and no garage, where he stays during his annual trip to visit his sister, who lives in Massachusetts.[1]
[edit] Political offices in Texas
Smith was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1980. He served as Bexar County, Texas commissioner from 1982 to 1985.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Elections
Smith was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986.
In 2002, Smith received 73 percent of the vote against college administrator John Courage. Smith got 62 percent in 2004 to defeat then-Democrat Rhett Smith, a consultant running for governor in 2006 as a Republican.
District boundaries were changed in 2001, in 2003, and again in 2006. Nearly two-thirds of voters in the area making up District 21 as of November 2006 cast ballots for statewide Republican candidates in 2004, according to the Texas Legislative Council.[1]
[edit] Political positions
[edit] DMCA
On April 23, 2006, CNet reported that Smith was introducing a bill that "would expand the DMCA's restrictions on software that can bypass copy protections and grant federal police more wiretapping and enforcement powers." [2] The controversial move sparked a negative response among technology enthusiasts in opposition to the DMCA.
[edit] Immigration
Smith is a member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims as well as the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity. No issues regarding the legislative jurisdiction of these committees were mentioned in the memo.[3]
[edit] 2006 re-election campaign
In the November 2006 open election, Smith faced six candidates: college administrator and veteran John Courage [2], a Democrat; retired Air Force officer Gene Kelly, 80, also a Democrat, who is a frequent candidate; three independents: Tommy Calvert Jr., 25, a San Antonio consultant and community activist, James Lyle Peterson, 57, a computer programmer in Austin, and Mark Rossano, 57, service manager for an Austin automobile dealership; and Libertarian James Arthur Strohm, a technical writer living in Austin.[4] Smith won reelection, taking 60% of the vote.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Gary Martin, "Courage, other veterans speak out against Bush", San Antonio Express-News, February 8, 2006.
- ^ Declan McCullagh , "Congress readies broad new digital copyright bill", CNet, April 24, 2006.
- ^ Larisa Alexandrovna, "Immigration memo intended for Rove arrives on Democrat's fax", RawStory.com, September 19, 2005.
- ^ Greg Jefferson, "Remap is looking good for incumbent Smith", San Antonio Express-News, September 3, 2006.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith official House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission - Lamar Smith campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues - Lamar Smith issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Lamar Smith campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Lamar S. Smith (TX) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Lamar Smith profile
- Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Lamar Smith voting record
- Lamar Smith for Congressman official campaign site
