Denny Smith
Encyclopedia
Dennis Alan "Denny" Smith (born January 19, 1938) is a businessman and former United States congressman from the state of Oregon
. A native of the state, he served in the Air Force before working in the airline industry and taking over the family's newspaper business. A Republican, he served ten years in Congress from 1981 until 1991. His father was former Oregon Governor Elmo Smith
.
city of Ontario, Oregon
, on January 19, 1938. In 1956, he graduated from Grant Union High School
in John Day
and enrolled at Willamette University
in Salem
. He joined the United States Air Force
in 1958, and served until 1960 when he joined the Oregon Air National Guard
. Smith then earned a bachelor of arts degree from Willamette in 1961. He returned to the Air Force in 1962 and remained there until 1967, serving as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam war
. In the war he flew the F-4C Phantom and completed about 180 missions. Smith remained in the aviation field as a flight engineer and co-pilot for a commercial airline, flying from 1967 until 1976. In 1968, he also took over the family's newspaper business when his father died. He worked for Pan American Airlines, and in 1974 was chosen by fellow employees to serve as the union's lobbyist in Washington, DC. He was inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor in 2009.
in 1980
to represent Oregon's 2nd congressional district
as a Republican
. He defeated 12-term Democrat
Al Ullman
by only 3,700 votes. Smith was undoubtedly helped by Ronald Reagan
winning every county in the sprawling district. When the 1980 census
gave Oregon another congressional district
, Smith's home in Salem
was placed in the newly created 5th district
. He was elected from this district in 1982
and was reelected three more times. Smith Budget Committee
, the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee
, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee
.
In 1990
, Smith was upset by Democrat
Mike Kopetski
. Kopetski, who lost to Smith by 707 votes in the 1988
election, attacked Smith for his ties to several collapsed savings and loans
. While still serving in Congress, Smith established and headed Oregonians Against Crime, which placed Oregon's 1988 Anti-crime Bill on the ballot by initiative petition
and successfully campaigned for its passage. In 1994
, Smith was the Republican nominee for Oregon governor, losing to Democrat John Kitzhaber
.
, a printing and publishing company in the Pacific Northwest
. The only son of former Oregon Governor
Elmo Smith
and his wife Dorothy, he is also a cousin of Steven Symms, a former congressman and Senator from Idaho
.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of the state, he served in the Air Force before working in the airline industry and taking over the family's newspaper business. A Republican, he served ten years in Congress from 1981 until 1991. His father was former Oregon Governor Elmo Smith
Elmo Smith
Elmo Everett Smith was an American politician, a Republican, and the 27th Governor of the state of Oregon, U.S., from 1956 to 1957.-Early life:...
.
Early life
Dennis Smith was born in the Eastern OregonEastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
city of Ontario, Oregon
Ontario, Oregon
Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 10,985 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 11,245 in 2006...
, on January 19, 1938. In 1956, he graduated from Grant Union High School
Grant Union High School (John Day, Oregon)
Grant Union High School is a public high school in John Day, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 2008, 96% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 49 students, 47 graduated, 0 dropped out, and 2 received a modified diploma....
in John Day
John Day, Oregon
John Day is a city located about north of Canyon City in Grant County, Oregon, at the intersection of U.S. Routes 26 and 395. The city was named for the nearby John Day River, which had been named for a Virginian member of the 1811 Astor Expedition, John Day...
and enrolled at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. He joined the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1958, and served until 1960 when he joined the Oregon Air National Guard
Oregon Air National Guard
The Oregon Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is, along with the Oregon Army National Guard, an element of the Oregon National Guard...
. Smith then earned a bachelor of arts degree from Willamette in 1961. He returned to the Air Force in 1962 and remained there until 1967, serving as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In the war he flew the F-4C Phantom and completed about 180 missions. Smith remained in the aviation field as a flight engineer and co-pilot for a commercial airline, flying from 1967 until 1976. In 1968, he also took over the family's newspaper business when his father died. He worked for Pan American Airlines, and in 1974 was chosen by fellow employees to serve as the union's lobbyist in Washington, DC. He was inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor in 2009.
Political career
Smith was first elected to the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1980
United States House elections, 1980
The U.S. House election, 1980 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 which coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan as President. Reagan's victory also allowed many Republican House candidates to secure election, and the Republicans gained a net of 35 seats from...
to represent Oregon's 2nd congressional district
Oregon's 2nd congressional district
Oregon's 2nd congressional district is the largest of Oregon's five districts, and is the seventh largest district in the nation. The district covers roughly two-thirds of the state, east of the Willamette Valley...
as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He defeated 12-term Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Al Ullman
Al Ullman
Albert Conrad "Al" Ullman , was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented from 1957 to 1981...
by only 3,700 votes. Smith was undoubtedly helped by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
winning every county in the sprawling district. When the 1980 census
United States Census, 1980
The Twentieth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4 percent over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 Census.-Census questions:...
gave Oregon another congressional district
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
, Smith's home in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
was placed in the newly created 5th district
Oregon's 5th congressional district
Oregon's 5th congressional district represents Oregon's central coast through Salem, north to the southern Portland suburbs, and east to the summit of Mount Hood. It includes Lincoln, Marion, Polk, and Tillamook counties, most of Clackamas County, and part of Benton and Multnomah counties...
. He was elected from this district in 1982
United States House elections, 1982
The U.S. House election, 1982 was an election for the United States House of Representatives held on November 2, 1982, in the middle of President Ronald Reagan's first term, whose popularity was sinking due to economic conditions under the 1982 recession. Therefore, the President's Republican...
and was reelected three more times. Smith Budget Committee
United States House Committee on the Budget
The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
, the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee
United States House Committee on Resources
The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, or Natural Resources Committee is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. Originally called the "Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs," the name was changed to the Natural Resources Committee in 1993...
, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee
United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
The standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new bills or amendments concerning veterans. Jurisdiction includes retiring and disability pensions, life insurance, education , vocational...
.
In 1990
United States House elections, 1990
The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term...
, Smith was upset by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Mike Kopetski
Michael J. Kopetski
Michael Joseph "Mike" Kopetski is an American businessman and former politician.Kopetski, a Democrat, was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1985 to 1989. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1982 and again in 1988, where he lost by a mere 707...
. Kopetski, who lost to Smith by 707 votes in the 1988
United States House elections, 1988
The U.S. House election, 1988 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1988 which coincided with the election of George H. W. Bush as President...
election, attacked Smith for his ties to several collapsed savings and loans
Savings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
. While still serving in Congress, Smith established and headed Oregonians Against Crime, which placed Oregon's 1988 Anti-crime Bill on the ballot by initiative petition
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
and successfully campaigned for its passage. In 1994
Oregon gubernatorial election, 1994
The 1994 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1994. Democratic nominee John Kitzhaber won the election, defeating Republican Denny Smith.-Results:Official results are as follows:...
, Smith was the Republican nominee for Oregon governor, losing to Democrat John Kitzhaber
John Kitzhaber
John Albert Kitzhaber is the 37th Governor of Oregon. He served as the 35th Governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and became the first person to be elected to the office three times when he was re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2010...
.
Later years and family
Smith married Sandra in 1962, and was divorced in 1967 after the couple had one son. He soon married Kathleen Barrett, and they had three children and divorced in 1986. He married Deanna Marie Koenig in 1989. Smith is now the chairman of Eagle NewspapersEagle Newspapers (Oregon)
Eagle Newspapers, Inc. is an American newspaper publisher serving the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The company publishes two daily papers, six semi-weekly papers, six weekly papers, two weekly classified publications, and six specialty publications. The company also owns four printing...
, a printing and publishing company in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The only son of former Oregon Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
Elmo Smith
Elmo Smith
Elmo Everett Smith was an American politician, a Republican, and the 27th Governor of the state of Oregon, U.S., from 1956 to 1957.-Early life:...
and his wife Dorothy, he is also a cousin of Steven Symms, a former congressman and Senator from Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
External links
- Democrats Ask for Ethics Inquiry Over Congressman's S.& L. Role - New York Times
- Smith delegation may double - The Register-Guard