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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder | name=John True Smithee | image=John T. Smithee of TX.jpg | nationality=American | office= Texas State Representative<br> for Dis..."
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=John True Smithee
| image=John T. Smithee of TX.jpg
| nationality=[[United States|American]]
| office= [[Texas]] State Representative<br> for District 86 (Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Potter, and Randall counties)
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| term_start=January 1985
| term_end=
| preceded=Robert Dwight "Bob" Simpson
| birth_date=September 7, 1951
| death_date=
| birth_place=[[Amarillo]], Texas
| occupation=[[Attorney]]
| spouse= Becky Lynn Smithee
| alma_mater=West Texas A&M University (Canyon) <br>
[[Texas Tech University]]
| religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
}}
'''John True Smithee''' (born September 7, 1951) is an [[attorney]] from [[Amarillo]], [[Texas]],<ref name=pvs/> who has been the [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative for District 86 in the Texas Panhandle since January 1985.<ref name=tlrl>{{cite web|url=https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=238&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=86~first=John~gender=~last=Smithee~leaderNote=~leg=~party=Republican~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=John T. Smithee|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=September 24, 2020}}</ref>
Although Smithee succeeded a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Robert Dwight "Bob" Simpson (born 1943), who had served for a decade, District 86 is perhaps the most Republican House jurisdiction in the entire state. Voters there cast more than 83 percent of their ballots for [[Mitt Romney]] in his failed 2012 race against [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2013-11-08/democrats-not-jumping-chance-run-west-texas-statewide-office|author=Enrique Rangel|title=Democrats not jumping at chance to run for West Texas, statewide office: The Wendy Davis factorpublisher=''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=November 9, 2013}}</ref>
District 86 includes [[rural]] Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, and Deaf Smith counties. Smithee represents the Randall County portion of Amarillo, some 40 percent of the population, located to the south of the central city. The remainder of Amarillo, the seat of Potter County, is represented by Smithee's Republican colleague, [[Four Price]], also an Amarillo lawyer.<ref name=tlrl/>
Smithee is the former chairman of the House Insurance Committee and serves on the State Affairs and Higher Education committees.<ref name=pvs/>
Smithee was first elected to the Texas House in 1984, when he was thirty-three. He was reelected to his twelfth two-year term in 2006 with 86.5 percent of the vote over a [[Libertarian Party|Libertarian opponent.<ref name=tlrl/> He holds the [[Juris Doctor]]ate from [[Texas Tech University]] in [[Lubbock]. He is married to Becky Lynn Smithee (born January 7, 1956).<ref name=pvs>{{cite web|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5581/john-smithee|title=John Smithee|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=September 24, 2020}}</ref>
==2009 bid for House Speaker==
On December 29, 2008, Smithee announced, via the online political newsletter, ''Quorum Report'', that he had received "more than twenty calls" from fellow Texas House members and that he would announce within forty-eight hours whether or not he would seek unseat incumbent Republican [[Speaker]] [[Tom Craddick]] of [[Midland]]].<ref>"Will Smithee be 13th warrior in Speaker's race?," capitolannex.com, December 29, 2008.</ref> Smithee did not enter the race, won instead by [[Moderate Republican]] [[Joe Straus]] of [[San Antonio]], who unseated Craddick with reliance on Democratic legislators.
==Opposition to state lottery==
Smithee, a [[Southern Baptist]],<ref name=pvs/> is a long-term opponent of the Texas Lottery Commission; he voted against the lottery when it was submitted to voters for approval in 1991. In 2013, he offered an amendment that would have abolished the commission by 2017. The amendment received ninety-five votes, five short of the two thirds required. Smithee said his bill was a [[compromise]] because of the degree of opposition that had emerged against the lottery, which funds about $1.2 billion annually to the state. The House, however, renewed the lottery for twelve years, but the issue could arise in future sessions.<ref name=lottery>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/texas/2013-04-24/texas-lottery-commission-reauthorized-its-future-uncertain#.UXkT88qIgbI|author=Enrique Rangel,|title=Texas Lottery Commission reauthorized, but its future uncertaindate=April 24, 2013|publisher='The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=April 25, 2013}}</ref> According to Smithee, there is "some discontent on how the lottery has operated, that there are too many persons that have profited from the lottery and not the children of Texas … only about 25 cents of each dollar go to the schoolchildren."<ref name=lottery/>
==Another bid for Speaker?==
In 2013, speculation mounted that Smithee would in January 2015 challenge the reelection of Speaker Joe Straus, who sought a fourth term as the presiding House officer. Smithee came to [[Tyler, Texas|Tyler]] to headline a fundraiser for colleague Matt Schaefer. Joining Smithee were Rick Miller of Sugar Land in [[suburb]]an [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], Drew Springer, Jr., of Muenster, [[David Simpson (Texas politician)|David Simpson]] of [[Longview, Texas|Longview]], and two members who ran against each other for the Texas State Senate, Steve Toth and Brandon Creighton, both of Montgomery County, also in suburban Houston. Most of the lawmakers in attendance were associated with the [[Tea Party movement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/brewing-speakers-race|author=Paul Burka|title=A Brewing Speaker’s Race?|date=August 20, 2013|publisher=''Texas Monthly''|accessdate=March 2, 2014}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smithee, John T.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]
| name=John True Smithee
| image=John T. Smithee of TX.jpg
| nationality=[[United States|American]]
| office= [[Texas]] State Representative<br> for District 86 (Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Potter, and Randall counties)
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| term_start=January 1985
| term_end=
| preceded=Robert Dwight "Bob" Simpson
| birth_date=September 7, 1951
| death_date=
| birth_place=[[Amarillo]], Texas
| occupation=[[Attorney]]
| spouse= Becky Lynn Smithee
| alma_mater=West Texas A&M University (Canyon) <br>
[[Texas Tech University]]
| religion=[[Southern Baptist]]
}}
'''John True Smithee''' (born September 7, 1951) is an [[attorney]] from [[Amarillo]], [[Texas]],<ref name=pvs/> who has been the [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative for District 86 in the Texas Panhandle since January 1985.<ref name=tlrl>{{cite web|url=https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=238&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=86~first=John~gender=~last=Smithee~leaderNote=~leg=~party=Republican~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=John T. Smithee|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=September 24, 2020}}</ref>
Although Smithee succeeded a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Robert Dwight "Bob" Simpson (born 1943), who had served for a decade, District 86 is perhaps the most Republican House jurisdiction in the entire state. Voters there cast more than 83 percent of their ballots for [[Mitt Romney]] in his failed 2012 race against [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2013-11-08/democrats-not-jumping-chance-run-west-texas-statewide-office|author=Enrique Rangel|title=Democrats not jumping at chance to run for West Texas, statewide office: The Wendy Davis factorpublisher=''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=November 9, 2013}}</ref>
District 86 includes [[rural]] Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, and Deaf Smith counties. Smithee represents the Randall County portion of Amarillo, some 40 percent of the population, located to the south of the central city. The remainder of Amarillo, the seat of Potter County, is represented by Smithee's Republican colleague, [[Four Price]], also an Amarillo lawyer.<ref name=tlrl/>
Smithee is the former chairman of the House Insurance Committee and serves on the State Affairs and Higher Education committees.<ref name=pvs/>
Smithee was first elected to the Texas House in 1984, when he was thirty-three. He was reelected to his twelfth two-year term in 2006 with 86.5 percent of the vote over a [[Libertarian Party|Libertarian opponent.<ref name=tlrl/> He holds the [[Juris Doctor]]ate from [[Texas Tech University]] in [[Lubbock]. He is married to Becky Lynn Smithee (born January 7, 1956).<ref name=pvs>{{cite web|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5581/john-smithee|title=John Smithee|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=September 24, 2020}}</ref>
==2009 bid for House Speaker==
On December 29, 2008, Smithee announced, via the online political newsletter, ''Quorum Report'', that he had received "more than twenty calls" from fellow Texas House members and that he would announce within forty-eight hours whether or not he would seek unseat incumbent Republican [[Speaker]] [[Tom Craddick]] of [[Midland]]].<ref>"Will Smithee be 13th warrior in Speaker's race?," capitolannex.com, December 29, 2008.</ref> Smithee did not enter the race, won instead by [[Moderate Republican]] [[Joe Straus]] of [[San Antonio]], who unseated Craddick with reliance on Democratic legislators.
==Opposition to state lottery==
Smithee, a [[Southern Baptist]],<ref name=pvs/> is a long-term opponent of the Texas Lottery Commission; he voted against the lottery when it was submitted to voters for approval in 1991. In 2013, he offered an amendment that would have abolished the commission by 2017. The amendment received ninety-five votes, five short of the two thirds required. Smithee said his bill was a [[compromise]] because of the degree of opposition that had emerged against the lottery, which funds about $1.2 billion annually to the state. The House, however, renewed the lottery for twelve years, but the issue could arise in future sessions.<ref name=lottery>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/texas/2013-04-24/texas-lottery-commission-reauthorized-its-future-uncertain#.UXkT88qIgbI|author=Enrique Rangel,|title=Texas Lottery Commission reauthorized, but its future uncertaindate=April 24, 2013|publisher='The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=April 25, 2013}}</ref> According to Smithee, there is "some discontent on how the lottery has operated, that there are too many persons that have profited from the lottery and not the children of Texas … only about 25 cents of each dollar go to the schoolchildren."<ref name=lottery/>
==Another bid for Speaker?==
In 2013, speculation mounted that Smithee would in January 2015 challenge the reelection of Speaker Joe Straus, who sought a fourth term as the presiding House officer. Smithee came to [[Tyler, Texas|Tyler]] to headline a fundraiser for colleague Matt Schaefer. Joining Smithee were Rick Miller of Sugar Land in [[suburb]]an [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], Drew Springer, Jr., of Muenster, [[David Simpson (Texas politician)|David Simpson]] of [[Longview, Texas|Longview]], and two members who ran against each other for the Texas State Senate, Steve Toth and Brandon Creighton, both of Montgomery County, also in suburban Houston. Most of the lawmakers in attendance were associated with the [[Tea Party movement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/brewing-speakers-race|author=Paul Burka|title=A Brewing Speaker’s Race?|date=August 20, 2013|publisher=''Texas Monthly''|accessdate=March 2, 2014}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smithee, John T.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]