Preston Smith (Georgia state politician)

Preston Smith
Member of the Georgia Senate
Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 52nd district
In office
2003–2011
Preceded byRichard Marable
Succeeded byBarry Loudermilk
Personal details
Born
Preston W. Smith

November 11
Atlanta, GA
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Michelle Smith
    (div. 2009)
    [1]
  • Elizabeth
    (date missing)
Children6
EducationBaylor University (BBA)
University of Georgia School of Law (JD)
ProfessionHealthcare executive, attorney, politician

Preston W. Smith is an American politician, attorney and healthcare executive from the U.S. state of Georgia.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) from Southern Baptist Convention affiliated Baylor University and a J.D. from the University of Georgia and practiced law before turning to electoral politics. Republican candidate Smith was elected to the Georgia State Senate for District 52 in 2002 by defeating Democratic candidate Richard Marable 16,957 votes (54.2%) to 14,329 votes (45.8%). Serving as Governor Sonny Perdue’s floor leader in the Senate, Smith also served on several Senate committees including Ethics & Government Reform as vice-chairman, Health & Human Services as secretary, Appropriations, Economic Development & Tourism, Judiciary and Children & Youth. Smith is a member of the Gridiron Secret Society as well as serving on the board of directors at the Summit Ministries, an evangelical Christian organization focusing on high school and college aged Christians.[2] In 2005, he successfully led the effort to reform Georgia's statewide civil liability system (SB3, 2005).

In 2010, after he lost the Republican primary for attorney general of Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that he had an extramarital affair with a staffer in 2004. [1]

Following his political service, Smith became president of Premier Anesthesia.[3]

  1. ^ a b McWhirter, Cameron. "Smith had affair with staffer, divorce records say". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  2. ^ Legislative Home Page Archived 2004-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Premier Anesthesia". Premier Anesthesia. Retrieved 2024-04-17.