George T. Smith

George T. Smith, a former speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, lieutenant governor and justice of the state Supreme Court, died Monday night, according to his longtime law partner, Thomas J. Browning of Marietta’s Browning & Smith.

Smith, 93, was practicing until about six weeks ago, said Browning, who noted that Smith tried a jury trial last year.

True retirement “wasn’t in his vocabulary,” said Browning.

The law firm’s website lists the following biography for Smith: born Camilla, Georgia, October 15, 1916; admitted to bar, 1947, Georgia. Education: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; Northwestern Naval School (Ensign, 1941); University of Georgia (LL.B., 1947). Phi Delta Phi. Member, Honor Court. Instructor: John Marshall Law School, 1977-1981, 1992-1993; Oglethorpe University, 1981-1982. City Attorney: Cairo, Georgia, 1949-1958; Austell, Georgia, 1971-1976; East Point, Georgia, 1973-1976. County Attorney, Grady County, Georgia, 1950-1958. Solicitor: State Court, Grady County, 1951-1959; Georgia House of Representatives, 1959-1967. Chairman, Appropriations Committee, 1961-1962. Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, 1963-1967. President of the Georgia State Senate. Lt. Governor of Georgia, 1967-1971. Vice-Chairman, Lt. Governor’s Conference. Judge, Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1976-1981. Justice, 1981-1991 and Presiding Justice, 1990-1991, Supreme Court of Georgia. Member, Board of Trustees: National Appellate Judges Conference; Truett-McConnell College. Member, Board of Trustees and Chairman, Governmental Affairs, National Arthritis Foundation. Recipient of Guardian of Justice Award. Member: Cobb County Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; Lawyers Club of Atlanta. Military Service: U.S. Navy, 1940-1945; Lt. Comm., U.S. Naval Reserve. Practice Areas: General Practice; Property Law; Domestic Relations; Personal Injury; Criminal Law.

A funeral has not been arranged yet, Browning said.

The Daily Report will have full coverage of Smith’s life online later today and in Wednesday’s newspaper.

Contributor: Jonathan Ringel in Georgia Supreme Court, Judges, Obituary | subscribe to rss |   share