Joseph Francis Smith (January 24, 1920 – May 14, 1999), was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a Democratic 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district Pennsylvania's third congressional district includes several areas of the city of Philadelphia, including West Philadelphia, most of Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia. It has been represented by Democrat Dwight Evans since 2019. With ...

from 1981 to 1983. He served as Chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee from 1983 to 1986 and as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

from 1971 to 1981.

Early life and education

Smith was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and attended St. Anne's Parochial School. He graduated from

Northeast Catholic High School Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

in Philadelphia in 1939. He attended St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia from 1940 to 1942. Smith was a sergeant and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

recipient in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1942 to 1945.

Career

After leaving the military, Smith became active in local politics, serving first as Ward Chair for James A. Byrne between 1965 and 1970. He became Byrne's Administrative Assistant during that time. He then served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1971 until 1981, and eventually became Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. He won election in 1981 as a Democrat to the

97th Congress The 97th 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, 198 ...

through a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative

Raymond Lederer Raymond Francis Lederer (May 19, 1938 – December 1, 2008) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1977 to 1981. He was convicted of taking bribes in ...

due to the

ABSCAM Abscam (sometimes written ABSCAM) was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others, for bribery and corruption. The two-year investigation init ...

sting. Smith lost the Democratic primary in the special election to David B. Glancey, but then ran as 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 ...

, with the blessing of the GOP, in the general election and won. He promised during his campaign that he would caucus with the Democrats if elected. After redistricting in 1982, Smith narrowly lost the Democratic primary against fellow congressman

Tom Foglietta Thomas Michael Foglietta (December 3, 1928 – November 13, 2004) was an American politician and diplomat. He represented Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997, and later served as United States Ambassador to Italy from D ...

. He went on to become Democratic City Chairman in Philadelphia between 1983 and 1986. Smith also served as the 31st Ward Leader for more than three decades.

Legacy

In honor of Smith's years of service to his community, the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

facility located at 1602 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia ("Kensington Station") was renamed as the ''Joseph F. Smith Post Office Building.''

Personal life

He was married to Regina Bukowski-Smith, also of the Port Richmond section in Philadelphia. They had one daughter, Regina.

References

* H.R.4554: ''To redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1602 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the "Joseph F. Smith Post Office Building".'' Sponsor: Rep Robert A. Borski. Introduced May 25, 2000; July 18, 2000, considered and passed House; October 6, 2000, considered and passed

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joseph F. 1920 births 1999 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia Military personnel from Philadelphia 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians