Sam Smith's political journey began in Louisiana when he was 10 years old. Listening to political conventions and speeches broadcast on radio in the early 1930s, he was quickly captivated by Franklin D. Roosevelt. By the time he was 14, he had made up his mind seek out a place to serve as an elected official. World War II brought Sam to Seattle, where he settled and began his climb to political prominence. In 1958, Sam Smith was successfully elected to the state House of Representatives in Seattle's Thirty-seventh District, where he served five consecutive terms. After achieving his goal of passing a state open housing law in 1967, Smith left the state legislature and became the first black person elected to the Seattle City Council. Smith served on the city council for 24 years, eight of those as president of the council. Observers of the city council described his presidency as a breath of fresh air into the council, opening up Seattle to a more progressive era.

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Photographs

Click on the links below to see photographs from Samuel J. Smith: An Oral History.

• Portrait of Sam Smith
• Another Portrait of Sam Smith
• Sam Smith was known as a passionate and persuasive publi speaker
• Sam Smith among members of the King County Metro Council
• Sam Smith at his desk in the House in 1959
• Martin Luther King Jr. with Sam Smith
• Sam Smith with President Ronald Reagan
• President Harry S. Truman with Sam Smith
• Sam Smith in the Black Front store, the first black-owned supermarket in Seattle
• State Representative David Sprague, state Senator Fred Dore, U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy, and state Representative Sam Smith (left to right)
• The Smith family: (standing, from left) Carl, Anthony, and Amelia; (seated, from left) Donald, Ronald, Marion, and Sam with Stephen in his lap
• Portrait of Sam Smith
• Sam Smith used his public speaking skills to advance many political causes during his 10 years in the state House of Representatives and 24 years on the Seattle City Council
• From the book's dedication — To my wife, Marion. Sam Smith, 1993