George T. Smith

George Thornewell Smith (October 15, 1916 – August 23, 2010) was an American Democratic Party politician and jurist from the state of Georgia. The sixth Lieutenant Governor, state legislator, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, was the only person in Georgia to win contested elections in all three branches of state government - legislative, executive, and judicial. Early years Born in Mitchell County, Georgia, Smith attended Middle Georgia College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. On August 26, 1940, he joined the United States Navy, having attained the rank of lieutenant commander and receiving the Naval Merit Unit citation. Following military service, Smith graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1948. Upon graduation he practiced law in Cairo in Grady County in southwestern Georgia. In addition to his private law practice, he served as county attorney, solicitor of the State Court of Grady County, Cairo city attorney, and attorney for the Grady County Board of Education. Political career Smith's political career began when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from Grady County in 1958. He served as a state representative until 1966, eventually rising to the position of its Speaker from 1963 to 1966.