Lawrence Jack Smith (born April 25, 1941) is an American politician, lawyer, lobbyist, and a former five-term member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, serving from 1983 to 1993.
Biography
He attended public schools in
East Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. The population was 38,132 at the 2010 census.
Many residents commute to Manhattan, which is away.
History
In 1 ...
. He attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
from 1958 to 1961. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
and a
J.D. from
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty.
Brookly ...
in 1964. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1964 and he commenced practice in New York City. In 1972, he was admitted to the Florida bar, and from 1974 until 1978, he was chairman of the Hollywood (Fl.) Planning and Zoning Board.
Political career
From 1978 until 1982, he served in the
Florida House of Representatives.
Lawrence Smith was a delegate to seven
Democratic National Conventions from 1980 to 2004.
He was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
98th United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses. He served from January 3, 1983, until January 3, 1993. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1992 to the
103rd United States Congress
The 103rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...
.
Later career
Smith announced his retirement from Congress after revelations of bounced checks in connection with the
House banking scandal
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the US House of Representatives allowed its members to overdraw their House checking accounts without the risk of being penalized by the House bank, which was actually a clea ...
and improper use of campaign funds. He pleaded guilty on May 25, 1993, to one count each of tax evasion and filing false campaign reports and was sentenced to three months in prison.
Currently, he is a resident of
Hollywood, Florida. He has practiced in
New York and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He operated his own law offices which were based in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...
, and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
From 2012 until his retirement he practiced law with the law firm of Kelley Kronenberg serving as Special Counsel and Government Relations Liaison in Fort Lauderdale.
See also
*
List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
*
List of federal political scandals in the United States
This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent.
Scope and organization of political scandals
This article is organized by presidential terms ...
References
External links
*
LinkedIn Profile
1941 births
American people convicted of tax crimes
Brooklyn Law School alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
Florida lawyers
Florida politicians convicted of crimes
Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
New York (state) lawyers
New York University alumni
People from East Meadow, New York
People from Hollywood, Florida
Politicians from Brooklyn
21st-century American Jews
Members of Congress who became lobbyists
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