T. Dan Smith

T. Dan Smith
Appearing on television programme After Dark in 1988
Born	Thomas Daniel Smith (1915-05-11)11 May 1915 Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Died	27 July 1993(1993-07-27) (aged 78) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupation	Politician
Political party	Labour Party
Criminal charge	Corruption
Criminal penalty	6 years imprisonment

Thomas Daniel Smith (11 May 1915 – 27 July 1993) was a British politician who was Leader of Newcastle City Council from 1960 to 1965. He was a prominent figure in the Labour Party in North East England, such that he was nicknamed Mr Newcastle (although his opponents called him the Mouth of the Tyne).

Smith sought to clear Newcastle of slum housing and put a great deal of effort into regeneration plans, such that the city was nicknamed The Brasilia of the North, at his suggestion. He also pumped money into local arts institutions. However, many residents of Newcastle felt that his regeneration plans created a West End now dismissed as being an impoverished area. Smith's name is usually spoken in negative terms regarding the destruction of historic and aesthetically pleasing buildings which were replaced with concrete structures, although many of these developments – such as Eldon Square Shopping Centre and John Dobson's Royal Arcade – actually took place after he left office.

While leading the redevelopment of his city, Smith formed business links with architect John Poulson which led to his trial for accepting bribes in April 1974, at which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He starred in a film of his life released in 1987.

Smith was born in Wallsend, the son of a Durham miner. His father drank heavily and was a gambler. His mother worked long hours cleaning the Wallsend telephone exchange and washing floors at the Shell-Mex office.

He attended Weston Boys School in Wallsend and became a printer's apprentice at the age of 13. After a period of unemployment he founded his own painting and decorating business in 1937 which was known for being somewhat economical (its local nickname was 'One-Coat Smith'). During the economically difficult years of the 1930s, he grew his business painting cinema exteriors across Tyneside.

Both his parents were communists and Smith adopted left-wing opinions himself. During World War II, Smith registered as a conscientious objector and was initially active in opposing the war and organising strikes against it; he supported the war after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. During the war, Smith joined several left-wing organisations. He was a regional representative for the Independent Labour Party in 1943, and later joined the Revolutionary Communist Party where he led a shipyard strike.