Fred Smith (politician)

Fred Smith (politician)

Fred Smith (born March 27, 1942 in Raleigh, NC [ [http://www.fredsmithgovernor2008.com/content/Pages/show/id/13 About Fred, Biography] ] )is a North Carolina politician who serves in the North Carolina Senate and ran for Governor of North Carolina in 2008.

Early Life and Education

Smith was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father was a teacher and coach at an orphanage, and his mother was a homemaker. While attending Raleigh's Broughton High School, Smith earned a football scholarship to attend Wake Forest University. Subsequently, he attended Wake Forest Law School, where he graduated with honors in 1966.

Smith is married to Virginia (Ginny) Reid Smith, is father to five children, and is grandfather to seven children. The Smith family is active in the First Baptist Church of Clayton, where he has been a Sunday school teacher.

Military and Business Career

Smith served as a Captain in the United States Army JAG Corps for four years after law school. In the years that followed, Fred Smith became a lawyer and homebuilder. Smith's businesses employ more than 600 people in Wake and Johnston Counties. The largest of those companies is his ownership of paving company CC Mangum, of which he is the CEO. Smith also created the Fred Smith Company, which builds homes and constructs golf courses and athletic clubs. [ [http://www.newhomebook.com/raleigh/abouttown/articles/sum07abouttown.html Meet the Senator: An Interview with Fred Smith] ] Smith touts himself as a CEO, not a politician, who deals with "straight talk and a clear vision." [ [http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=14005 NC Senator Fred Smith: From JAG to Politics and Beyond] ]

Political career

Smith was elected in 2000 as a Johnston County commissioner. In 2002, he was elected to the first of 3 terms in the state Senate, representing Johnston County and Wayne County, North Carolina [ [http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=S&nUserID=109 Senator Fred Smith (Rep) 2007-2008 Session] ]

Senator Smith has argued for a critical east-west transportation corridor. He is a primary sponsor of an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution which would define marriage as between one man and one woman at one time.

Smith has been heavily criticized by the Democratic Party, including criticisms from Jerry Meek, as being an absentee Senator, because Smith missed over 300 votes in 2007, which is over a quarter of all possible voting opportunities. [ [http://www.ncdp.org/Fred+Smith+North+Carolina+Gubernatorial+election+north+carolina+democratic+party Someone Tell Fred Smith Actions Speak Louder than Words] ]

In 2007, Smith became a candidate for Governor with the office open as a result of the departure of term-limited incumbent, Mike Easley, but then lost the 2008 Republican primary to Pat McCrory.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Senator Fred Smith physically visited all 100 North Carolina counties in nine months and 18 days, holding a Barbecue dinner in each county, a politically historical feat in itself. Barbecue dinners, known as the “ [http://www.countyncnews.com/governor2008/smith2008.php Fred Smith for Governor BBQ Statewide Tour] ,” started in Haywood County, North Carolina on Thursday, August 2, 2007, and ended on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Additionally, during these dinners, Fred Smith thanked each attendee upon their exit from the dinner.

[http://www.countyncnews.com/governor2008/8fredsmith5.php On May 6, 2008] , 10:37 P.M. Fred Smith pledged full support to Pat McCrory for North Carolina governor 2008, saying,

“I have pledged my full support to Pat McCrory to do whatever is in my power to help elect a Republican governor in November to change the culture in Raleigh and fix our broken government.”

North Carolina May 6, 2008, [http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/1875/4822/en/md.html?cid=152 Official primary election results] show Fred Smith won 66 counties. Out of a total of 504,973 votes, Fred Smith lost the popular vote to Pat McCrory by 45,975 votes.

References

External links

* [http://www.joinfred.com/ Official website]
* [http://projects.newsobserver.com/dome/profiles/fred_smith News & Observer profile]
* [http://www.countyncnews.com County NC News]
* [http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/ North Carolina State Board of Elections]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fred Smith — Fred, Frederic, or Frederick Smith may refer to:*Fred Smith (politician), a North Carolina legislator and attorney *Fred Smith (bassist), bassist for the 1970s proto punk band Television *Fred L. Smith, president and founder of the Competitive… …   Wikipedia

  • Fred Hall — Infobox Governor name= Fred Hall caption= order=33rd office= Governor of Kansas term start= January 10, 1955 term end= January 3, 1957 lieutenant= John McCuish predecessor= Edward F. Arn successor= John McCuish birth date= July 24, 1916 birth… …   Wikipedia

  • Fred Baden — Infobox Mayor | name=Frederick H. Fred Baden, Sr. nationality=American image size=250px caption=Fred Baden as mayor of Pineville, Louisiana office= flagicon|USA Mayor of Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, USA party= Democratic term start= 1970 …   Wikipedia

  • Fred A. Hartley, Jr. — Infobox Congressman name=Fred A. Hartley, Jr. width= state=New Jersey district=8th and 10th party=Republican term=March 1929 January 1949 preceded=Paul J. Moore and Frederick R. Lehlbach succeeded=George N. Seger and Peter W. Rodino, Jr. date of… …   Wikipedia

  • Fred Grandy — Infobox Congressman name=Fred Grandy | state=Iowa district=6th and 5th party=Republican term start =January 3, 1987 term end = January 3, 1995 preceded=Berkley Bedell succeeded= Tom Latham date of birth= birth date and age|1948|06|29 place of… …   Wikipedia

  • People with the surname Smith — Smith is one of the most widely distributed surnames in the English speaking world. Following is a list of notable people with the surname Smith:People known primarily as having the surname Smith Common combinations of given name and surname… …   Wikipedia

  • David Lewis (politician) — For other people named David Lewis, see David Lewis (disambiguation). David Lewis David Lewis in 1944 (National Archives and Library of Canada) Leader of the N …   Wikipedia

  • E. E. Smith — For other people named Edward Smith, see Edward Smith (disambiguation). This article is about the author. For the Lt. Governor of Minnesota, see Edward Everett Smith. Edward Elmer Smith Born Edward Elmer Smith May 2, 1890(1890 05 02) Sheboygan,… …   Wikipedia

  • Michael K. Smith (Illinois politician) — For other people named Michael Smith, see Michael Smith (disambiguation). Michael K. Smith Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 91st district In office 1995 …   Wikipedia

  • David Gibson (UK politician) — David Gibson was a Scottish socialist politician. Gibson joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) and at the 1935 UK general election was its candidate in Stirling East and Clackmannan.[1] He was elected to Glasgow City Council,[2] and he stood… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”