Alma Wheeler Smith (born August 6, 1941) is a politician from the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. She was most recently a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

, representing the 54th District, which includes the city of Ypsilanti, Augusta Township, Salem Township, Superior Township, and Ypsilanti Township in

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

, from 2005 to 2010. 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 ...

, she sat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, served two terms in the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

from 1995 to 2002, and sought her party's nomination for

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

in 2010.

Early career

Early in her career, Smith worked as a cable commissioner, school board trustee, school board president, and county commissioner. She served as a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

representing Ann Arbor in the 18th District for eight years before term limits ended her tenure in that body.

State Representative

In the Michigan House of Representatives, Smith has introduced bills on a wide range of topics. She served in the Michigan House from January 1, 2005 until December 31, 2010, having been unable to retain her House seat in 2010 due to term limits.

Gubernatorial candidate

Representative Smith has announced her candidacy for governor in 2010. According to her campaign site, "As governor, Alma's policies and budgets will support full access to health care for each resident, equal education access and opportunity from preschool to grad school, a safe and clean environment, vital urban centers, a healthy business sector, protection for civil rights and civil liberties and full inclusion for each citizen in Michigan's benefits and opportunities." On May 10, one day before the filing deadline for the primary, Smith announced that although she was “well on the path” to collecting enough signatures (15,000) to qualify, she had decided not to submit them. In a statement, she said that she shared a “concern of splitting the progressive vote and ending up with a candidate that does not represent core Democratic values.” “Democrats need to unify behind a candidate and I have come to believe that my continued candidacy would only serve to divide us further,” Smith said.

Family

Smith is a member of a prominent Ann Arbor political family. Her father,

Albert H. Wheeler Albert H. Wheeler (1915 – April 4, 1994) was an American life-sciences professor and politician in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He became the city's first African-American mayor, serving in the office from 1975 to 1978. Early career Wheeler was r ...

, was mayor of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

from 1975 to 1978, and the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to hold that position. Her sister, Nancy Francis, has served as a

probate judge since 1990. Her son, Conan, served as a Washtenaw County commissioner, and was elected Chairperson of the Ann Arbor City Democratic Party in December 2008. Conan's wife,

Rebekah Warren Rebekah Lynn Warren (born November 25, 1971) is a former American Democratic legislator from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who represented the 55th District of the Michigan House of Representatives from January 1, 2019 until January 1, 2021. She was el ...

, currently represents the 18th District in the

, a seat Smith previously held.

References

External links

Alma Wheeler Smith's Michigan House Democrats Web SiteGubernatorial campaign site Arbor Update, 25 June 2004 - Alma Wheeler Smith to be honored this Saturday at Democratic Social
* Judy McGovern

''Ann Arbor News'', 8 November 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Alma Wheeler County commissioners in Michigan School board members in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan 1941 births Living people Women state legislators in Michigan Place of birth missing (living people) University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni African-American state legislators in Michigan African-American women in politics 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2010 United States elections 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians