Lamar Smith

This article is about the American politician. For other uses, see Lamar Smith (disambiguation).
Lamar Smith
Chair of the House Science Committee
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byRalph Hall
Succeeded byEddie Bernice Johnson
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byJohn Conyers
Succeeded byBob Goodlatte
Chair of the House Ethics Committee
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001
Preceded byJames V. Hansen
Succeeded byJoel Hefley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 21st district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byTom Loeffler
Succeeded byChip Roy
Member of the Bexar County Commission
from the 3rd district
In office
January 1983 – January 1985
Preceded byJeff Wentworth
Succeeded byWalter Bielstein
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 57th district
In office
December 15, 1981 – November 15, 1982
Preceded byJames Nowlin
Succeeded byChock Word
Personal details
Born
Lamar Seeligson Smith

(1947-11-19) November 19, 1947 (age 76)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Jane Shoults (died 1991)
Elizabeth Schaefer
​
(m. 1992)​
Children2
EducationYale University (BA)
Southern Methodist University (JD)
Lamar Smith's voice
Lamar Smith explains how to use E-Verify
Recorded February 28, 2015

Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 21st congressional district for 16 terms, a district including most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas Hill Country. He is a member of the Republican Party. He sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act (PCIP). He also co-sponsored the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act.[1]

As the head of the House Science Committee, Smith has been criticized for his denial of, and promotion of conspiracy theories about, climate change and for receiving funding from oil and gas companies.[8] He is a former contributor to Breitbart News, a website known for publishing dubious claims about climate change.[9]

In November 2017, Smith announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of his current term, and not seek re-election in 2018.[10] In 2021, Smith registered as a lobbyist for the surveillance firm HawkEye 360 on behalf of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.[11] In 2022, he officially registered as a foreign agent.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LeahySmithPolitico was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Wray, Dianna (July 11, 2016). "Subpoenas: Rep. Lamar Smith's Favorite Climate Change Denial Tool". Houston Press. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  3. ^ D'Angelo, Chris (December 19, 2016). "GOP Congressman Subpoenas Those Investigating Big Oil's Climate Cover-Up". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  4. ^ Mervis, Jeffrey (March 24, 2017). "Lamar Smith, unbound, lays out political strategy at climate doubters' conference". Science. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Timmer, John (March 29, 2017). "Lamar Smith claims climate scientists not following scientific method". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Krauss, Lawrence M. (September 14, 2016). "The House Science Committee's Anti-Science Rampage". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Rein, Lisa (December 22, 2015). "Meet the House science chairman who's trying to put global warming research on ice". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  8. ^ [2][3][4][5][6][7]
  9. ^ Kasprak, Alex (March 29, 2017). "Chair of House Science Committee Says the Journal 'Science' Is Not Objective". Snopes. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Livingston, Abby (November 2, 2017). "Lamar Smith retiring from Congress". The Texas Tribune. Austin, Texas. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  11. ^ "LD-2 Disclosure Form". Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. ^ Oprysko, Caitlin (4 April 2022). "Lamar Smith registers as a foreign agent". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-04-04.