John Clay Smith Jr. (April 15, 1942 – February 15, 2018) was a lawyer, author, and American educator. Smith was born in Omaha,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

. He graduated from

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and underg ...

in 1964. He received his master's and doctorate's degree from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

. Smith also received his law degree from the

Howard University School of Law Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the ol ...

and was admitted to the Nebraska bar. Smith served in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army The Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army, also known as the U.S. Army JAG Corps, is the legal arm of the United States Army. It is composed of Army officers who are also lawyers and who provide legal services to the Army at ...

. In 1978, President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

named Smith to the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

and served as interim chair in 1981 and 1982. He then served on the

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

faculty and then retired in 2004. Smith died in

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 Alzheimer's disease.Nebraska State Bar Association-J. Clay Smith Jr.
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Writings

*''Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844–1944'' (1993)

Notes

1942 births 2018 deaths Military personnel from Omaha, Nebraska Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska Creighton University alumni George Washington University alumni Howard University School of Law alumni United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps Howard University faculty Chairs of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Neurological disease deaths in Washington, D.C. Deaths from Alzheimer's disease {{Nebraska-stub