Tom Smith (Pennsylvania)
| Tom Smith | |
|---|---|
Smith in 2012
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Joel Smith October 20, 1947 Kittanning, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 2015 (aged 67) Shelocta, Pennsylvania |
| Political party |
Democratic Party (1969-2011) Republican Party (2011–2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Saundy Smith |
| Children | 7 |
| Committees | Plumcreek Township Board, Indiana Armstrong Patriots |
| Website | Campaign website at the Wayback Machine (archived November 1, 2012) |
Thomas Joel "Tom" Smith (October 20, 1947 – October 17, 2015) was a Pennsylvania politician, farmer and businessman. A Democrat for four decades before seeking elective office, Smith switched his registration to Republican in 2011 and ran for the United States Senate in the 2012 election, losing to the incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
Smith was born on October 20, 1947. He grew up in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Elderton High School in 1965. At 19, he decided to postpone college to run the family farm when his father was ill. He also took over the family's school bus company. The Smiths had three biological children, and later adopted four more children from Texas.
Smith started work in a coal mine shortly after leaving school. In 1989, he purchased and ran a coal mine, after raising the money by mortgaging his existing property. He ran the business for 20 years before selling it in 2010. Smith said that his company was "mining more than a million tons of a coal" per year and employed over 100 people.
Smith was involved in local politics as a Democrat, serving on the Plumcreek Township Board of Supervisors and became President of the Board. In 1975, the Plumcreek board voted to increase the real estate tax rate from 6 to 8 mills. In 1977, the board created an income tax, and he voted for the “Local Tax enabling Act.” In 1978, he voted for the creation of a 1% real estate transfer tax.
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