| James C. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Florida Secretary of State | |
| In office 1987–1995 |
|
| Attorney General of Florida | |
| In office 1979–1987 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 25, 1940 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Profession | Attorney |
James Cloudis Smith (born May 25, 1940)[1] is an American lawyer. He served as Florida Attorney General, Florida Secretary of State, and is current the Chairman of the Florida State University Board of Trustees.[2]
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Smith received his B.S. degree in Government and Public Administration from Florida State University in 1962, and while in college he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. In addition he received his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in 1967. Also he served in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
Smith started out as a Democrat in his political career. He became Florida Attorney General in 1979, succeeding Robert Shevin, and he would go on to serve in this capacity until 1987. In 1986, he ran for Governor, but narrowly lost the Democratic runoff to liberal state Representative Steve Pajic. Later he would become a Republican and be appointed Florida Secretary of State in 1987, serving in that capicity until 1995.[3] He ran for Governor in 1994, but lost the primary to Jeb Bush.
After he completed his term as the Florida Secretary of State, he would go into private practice in Tallahassee, Florida. He is currently a shareholder for Smith & Ballard and serves as Chairman of the Board at Florida State.
When it was announced that U.S. Senator Mel Martinez would resign from the Senate during the August 2009 recess, there was widespread speculation that Smith would be appointed to replace him, with the expectation that Smith would be a caretaker who would not seek reelection to a full term [2].