Sam Smith Oral History

Samuel J Smith An Oral History Washington State Oral History Program Office of the Secretary of State Samuel J Smith An Oral History Interviewed by Dianne Bridgman Washington State Oral History Program Office of the Secretary of State Ralph Munro, Secretary of State Sam Smith used his public speaking skills to advance many political causes during his 10 years in the state House of Representatives and 24 years on the Seattle City Council Copyright 2000 Washington State Oral History Program All rights reserved ISBN 1-889320-08-0 Library of Congress Subject Headings 1) Smith, Samuel J), 1922-1995 2) LegislatorsWashingtonbiography 3) Washingtonpolitics and government Washington State Oral History Program Office of Secretary of State Legislative Building PO Box 40243 Olympia, WA 98504-0243 Telephone: (360) 902-4157 CONTENTS Dedication Foreword by Ron Sims Preface Acknowledgements Biographical Highlights PrologueA Conversation with Sam Smith and his Sisters 1 The Smith Element 1 2 Discovering Seattle 12 3 Formulating My Dream 22 4 Achieving My Dream 29 5 Learning to Legislate 35 6 In the Center of Things 47 7 The Civil Rights Movement Heats Up 53 8 The Fight for Open Housing 62 9 At the Apex 70 10 The Seattle City Council 80 11 A Year of Testing 89 12 A Dangerous Time 99 13 Knocking on the Door 107 14 My Task 116 15 Riding the Crest 132 16 Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant 141 Epilogue Appendices A Illustrations B Clippings Index To my wife, Marion Sam Smith, 1993 FOREWORD ABOUT SAM SMITH You could take a snapshot of Samuel J) Smiths life and career and get a sense of his intelligence, passion, drive, and persistence) Born in Gibsland, Louisiana in 1922, he graduated at the top of his high school class; two years later, he was drafted into the army, where he served our country for two years; he married his high-school sweetheart, settled in his hometown of Seattle and started a family; he earned degrees in Sociology and Economics from Seattle University and the University of Washington (respectively); he served as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives for five consecutive terms; and then he came back home to the Seattle City Council to serve for twenty-four years) By any assessment, Samuel J) Smith, youngest child of Steve and Bernice Smith, lived the American Dream) What this snapshot fails to show, however, is that the American Dream did not come easily to Sam) He had to work to achieve it; and, as a young man who started his career before the civil rights movement began, he had to overcome many barriers) Sam was a man of great hope, vision and courage) He allowed no barrier to deter him from accomplishing his goals) In fact, when Sam encountered a barrier, he saw it as an added challenge, and he made it part of his goal to knock down the barrier permanentlynot only for himself, but for everyone who would come after) It was with this great spirit that in 1958, Samuel J) Smith was elected to the Washington State Legislature, where he stayed to serve through five terms) This is a remarkable and significant accomplishment for anyone, but consider that Sam Smith served his terms during the heart and fire of the civil rights movementand its accompanying violence and protests and you will begin to get a sense of how truly powerful and significant Sams personal accomplishment was) Washington State and the entire Pacific Northwest region were truly blessed to have such visionary, peaceloving, and tenacious leadership during what was one of this countrys most tumultuous and important times) Inspired by the example and teachings of Dr) Martin Luther King, Jr), Samuel J) Smith dedicated himself to promoting equality, respect, and love for all people) Among his greatest accomplishments while serving as a state legislator was the 1967 passage of an open housing law for Washington State) Soon after the open housing law was passed, Sam became the first black member of the Seattle City Council, marking the advent of a more FOREWORD progressive era for the city of Seattle, and opening doors that had never before been opened) Predictably, for a man as dedicated and persistent as Sam was, he served on the council for twenty-four years) During his tenure with the council, Sam ran for mayor a total of four times, and served for eight years as the city council president) Throughout his career, Sam spread his hope and vision to everyone he encountered) He had a particular fondness for young people, because he saw in them unlimited potential and the promise of a brighter future) Wherever he could, he created opportunities for the young people in whom he saw such promise) I was fortunate to be one of those) After seeing me in the community setting on a number of occasions, Sam recognized in me something that I had not yet considered for myself) He told me that I was going to be a great leader someday, and he provided me with an opportunity to work with him and learn from him) Having Sam Smith as a mentor was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and, without a doubt, Sams confidence in me made a tremendous difference in the goals I set for myself) Now, if I find myself challenged by a difficult or sensitive situation, I often ask myself What would Sam do? Samuel J) Smith was unique as no one ever will be again; his life and work are an enduring legacy) RON SIMS King County Executive Former Sam Smith Aide PREFACE The Washington State Oral History Program was established in 1991 by the Washington State Legislature to document the formation of public policy in Washington State) It is administered by the Office of the Secretary of State and is guided by the Oral History Advisory Committee) Each oral history is a valuable record of an individuals contributions and convictions, their interpretation of events, and their relationships with other participants in the civic life of the state) By reading these oral histories, the complex interweaving of the personal and political processes that shape public policy is revealed) The Oral History Advisory Committee chooses candidates for oral histories) Extensive research is then conducted about the life and activities of the prospective interviewee, using legislative journals, newspaper accounts, personal papers, and other sources) Then a series of taped interviews are conducted, focusing on the interviewees public life and contributions, but also including personal sources of their values and beliefs) Political values, ideas about public service, interpretation of events, and reflections about relationships and the political process are explored) When the interviews have been completed, a verbatim transcript is prepared) These transcripts are edited and reviewed by the interviewer and interviewee to ensure readability and accuracy) Finally, the transcript is published and distributed to libraries, archives, and interested individuals) An electronic version of the text is also available on the Secretary of State web site (www)secstate)wa)gov)) The core material for the memoir of Sam Smith was derived from forty- four hours of interviews conducted by Dianne Bridgman) As this book was designed to be read as a narrative, rather than as an oral history transcript, extensive editing and arrangement of the transcribed material was necessary) The interview questions were removed and other changes were made to create a continuous flow of remembrance and reflection by Sam about his long and active life) He worked closely with Dianne to ensure accuracy of detail and veracity of feeling and recollection) This publication represents a collaborative effort between interviewee and interviewer/editor to a much greater degree than other oral history accounts) Recollection and interpretation of events vary) It is the hope of the Oral History Program that this work will help citizens of the state of Washington better understand their political legacy) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Washington State Oral History Program wishes to thank all of those who contributed to this project) We are thankful for Sam Smiths enthusiastic participation in this project) Sam was a true pioneer in Washington state politics and the civil rights movement; his candid and insightful memories are a valuable addition to our historical record) We also are very grateful to the family of Sam Smith, particularly Sams children, Amelia, Carl, Anthony, Ronald, Donald, and Stephen; and Sams sisters, Rosa, Willie Mae, and Mattie) After Sams death, they carried the project forward and shared with us countless memories, news clippings, and photos of Sam, as well as written work by him) The continued assistance and patience of the Smith family has given Sams memoir the substance it deserves) We also would like to thank Karen Winston, Herm McKinney, and Esther Mumford for their encouragement and interest in the success of this book) We appreciate the members of our Legislative Advisory Committee for their guidance, support, and unfailing interest in this work) The committee includes Senators Sid Snyder, Shirley Winsley, and Al Bauer; Representatives Karen Keiser, Patricia Lantz, Don Carlson, and Kathy Lambert; Secretary of State Ralph Munro, Secretary of the Senate Tony Cook, and the Co-Chief Clerks of the House, Tim Martin and Cindy Zehnder) Ex officio members are Warren Bishop, Dean Foster, David Nicandri, and former legislators Eugene Prince, Robert Bailey, Alan Thompson, and Don Brazier) We would like to thank the State Department of Printing, including Director George Morton, Dick Yarboro, Doug Dow, Rick Garcia, Don Reese, Jeanese

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