Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)

Chris Smith
Official portrait, 2014
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1981
Preceded byFrank Thompson
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office
January 4, 2001 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byBob Stump
Succeeded bySteve Buyer
Personal details
Born
Christopher Henry Smith

(1953-03-04) March 4, 1953 (age 71)
Rahway, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1978–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 1978)
Spouse
Marie Hahn
​
(m. 1977)​
Children4
EducationTrenton State College (BS)
WebsiteHouse website
Chris Smith's voice
Smith, as chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, speaks in support of the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Benefits Improvement Act of 2003
Recorded June 23, 2003
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Christopher Henry Smith (born March 4, 1953) is an American politician serving his 22nd term as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 4th congressional district. Though it has taken various forms, his district has always been situated in central New Jersey. Currently, the district contains parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties. Smith is a member of the Republican Party, having switched from the Democratic Party in 1978.

Smith is the dean of New Jersey's congressional delegation and the longest-serving member of Congress in New Jersey's history.[1] He has focused much of his career on promoting human rights abroad, including authoring the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 and several follow-on laws. From 1993 to 2019, he was the top House Republican on the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has used his leadership positions, including chairmanships, to author multiple pieces of legislation focused on human rights[2] and conduct aggressive oversight of human rights abuses,[3] actions that have earned him scorn from abusing nations.[4]

  1. ^ Chris Smith, NJ's sole surviving Republican in DC, expects GOP comeback in 2020 (NorthJersey.com)
  2. ^ "Establish a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal". Washington Post. September 13, 2013.
  3. ^ "Remarks of Rep. Chris Smith on Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act". May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "China Sanctions Chris Smith in response to human rights penalties". Politico. July 13, 2020.