Steven "Steve" Smith (November 29, 1949 – c. April 7, 2014) was a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

representing District 33A, which includes portions of Hennepin and

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

counties in the western

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he was an attorney by profession.Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Smith, Steve
/ref> Smith was first elected in 1990, and was reelected every two years thereafter until defeated in 2012. Prior to the 1992 legislative

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

, he represented the old District 43A, and prior to the 2002 redistricting, he represented the old District 34A. His top legislative priorities included tax cuts and government reform.Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Smith, Steve
/ref> Smith was vice chair of the House Ethics Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, and a member of the Finance subcommittee for the Public Safety Finance Division. He served as deputy minority leader. He was chair of the Civil Law Committee from 1999–2002, the Judiciary Policy and Finance Committee during the 2003-2004 biennium, and the Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee during the 2005-2006 biennium. After being redistricted into a new district, Smith was defeated in the 2012 Republican primary by Tea Party activist

Cindy Pugh Cindy Pugh (born May 1, 1957) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represented District 33B in the western Twin Cities metropolitan area. Educa ...

. Smith graduated from Lester Prairie High School in Lester Prairie, then went on to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, graduating with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in political science. He then attended

Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is the law school of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on the southwest side ...

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, earning his J.D. He served on the

Mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...

City Council from 1984–1986, and as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Mound from 1987-1990. He was found dead at his home, where he lived alone, on April 7, 2014.Former GOP state Rep. Steve Smith, of Mound, dies
/ref>

References

External links

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Steve Smith

Project Votesmart - Rep. Steve Smith Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Steve 1949 births 2014 deaths People from Mound, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Minnesota lawyers Minnesota city council members Mayors of places in Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni Oklahoma City University School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers