Thomas F. X. Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Francis Xavier Smith (July 5, 1928 – May 31, 1996) was a reformist politician and author. He served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1977 to 1981.

An unconventional and independent-minded mayor, he was affectionately known as "The Mouth That Roared" due to his outspoken criticism of the political cronyism and corruption for which Hudson County had long been infamous. Smith left the mayor's office for an unsuccessful bid for Governor of New Jersey in 1981, and was unsuccessful in a subsequent bid for the mayoralty of Jersey City in 1989.^[1]

Smith wrote a history of Jersey City politics and the attempts to remove the city from the grip of the political machine created by Hudson County political boss and sometimes mayor of Jersey City, Frank Hague entitled Powerticians, which was published by Lyle Stuart, Inc., of Secaucus, New Jersey, in 1982. (ISBN 0-8184-0328-4).^[1]

Smith attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City.^[2] He was a star basketball player at Saint Peter's College, New Jersey, where he earned an undergraduate degree with a major in English, and received a master's degree from Fordham University in in educational psychology. He was director of placement at St. Peter's and a vice president of Hudson County Community College.^[1]

Smith played for the New York Knicks in 1951, appearing in a single game, in which he played three minutes and scored four points.^[1]^[2]

Smith died of cancer in 1996, and is buried in Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City.

1 See also
2 References
3 Sources
4 External links

[edit] See also

List of mayors of Jersey City, New Jersey

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Goodnough, Abby. " Thomas Smith, 68, Ex-Jersey City Mayor, Dies", The New York Times, June 5, 1996. Accessed April 1, 2008. "During his term, he wrote "The Powerticians," a history of Hudson County politics peppered with his own recollections.... Known for his scrappiness, Mr. Smith once confronted President Jimmy Carter with demands for more urban aid, an encounter that inspired White House aides to call him "the mouth that roared."
^ ^a ^b Tom Smith profile, BasketballReference.com. Accessed June 29, 2007.