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appointed Smith to the state
Supreme Court in 1988. Smith was re-elected three times, always unopposed, and served for a total of 14 years. He recalled that from 1990 to 1993, a group of his colleagues on his court harassed him in an attempt to get him to resign. While he was a justice, he was a
332:. Gray housed Smith and helped him enroll at the college. When Florida state regents fired Gray for refusing to ban black students from all-white colleges, he moved with his family and Smith to Philadelphia. While living in Philadelphia, Smith met
358:. The associate dean immediately admitted Smith to the school. Smith was one of four students of color in his law school of 120 students. He was the only African American in his graduating class in 1955.
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Task Force on
Minorities in the Judiciary, Judicial Division. He also served on the National Consortium of Task Forces and Commissions on Racial and Ethnic Bias until 1999. President
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Smith and
Eleanor "Elie" Jane Martinez married in 1955. They had four children who currently reside in Seattle. Smith died on August 28, 2016, at his home in Seattle, Washington.
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in 1961. Smith helped the
Attorney General investigate fraud related to the Central States Teamsters Pension Fund. Smith left the office to help Kennedy during
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in 1999. He was on the commission until his retirement in 2002. He was the longest-serving justice on the
Washington Supreme Court at the time.
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in the 1960s. Smith provided legal advice to redress activists in the 1970s and 1980s, and became a board member of the
Seattle Chapter of the
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In 1965, Smith returned to
Washington and became the state's first African American judge when he was appointed to the Seattle
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in 1952. The same year, Smith visited his mother in
Seattle and had a chance to show his transcript to the associate dean of
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reporter until 1946. After Smith left the military, Gray encouraged Smith to study law. Smith went on to earn his B.S. from
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The
Student Bar Association at the UW School of Law named the Charles Z. Smith Public Service Scholarship after Smith.
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Smith became a professor and associate dean at UW's law school in 1973. As a professor he was a regular commentator on
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on a global scale. As part of the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom, he took particular interest in
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in the legal profession. He was critical of how the Washington State justices' demographics did not reflect the
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of color to serve a Washington Supreme Court justice. He then found work as a deputy for King County Prosecutor
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in the 1950s, which was a requirement in order to work for prosecutor Charles O. Carroll.
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until he joined the US Army at age 18 in 1945 despite Gray's wishes. Smith served in the
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Charles Z. Smith, state’s first African-American Supreme Court justice, dies at 89
269:(February 23, 1927 – August 28, 2016) was an American judge who served as a
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469:. He and his wife, Eleanor Martinez, became spokespeople for the redress of
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420:. He retired from teaching in 1983 as professor emeritus and from the
305:. Smith was one of eight siblings. During his childhood, he lived in
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After graduating from UW School of Law, Smith was unable to find
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learned of Smith and hired him as a special assistant to the
646:"Legal pioneer Justice Charles Z. Smith nears career's end"
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List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Virginia
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that would interview him. Instead, he worked for Justice
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advocate who worked to increase the number of women and
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Former State Supreme Court Charles Z. Smith dies at 89
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539:also named a low-cost housing location after him.
297:immigrant, and his mother, Eva Love Smith, was an
718:Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project
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447:US Commission on International Religious Freedom
851:University of Washington School of Law alumni
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424:with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1986.
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321:As a teenager, one of Smith's mentors was
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841:Justices of the Washington Supreme Court
523:Smith was registered as a member of the
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356:University of Washington School of Law
271:Washington State Supreme Court Justice
881:21st-century African-American lawyers
876:20th-century African-American lawyers
7:
861:People from Franklin, North Carolina
273:from 1988 to 2002. He was the first
293:. His father, John R. Smith, was a
14:
836:Florida A&M University alumni
479:Japanese American Citizens League
681:"The Honorable Charles Z. Smith"
557:List of African-American jurists
229:
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644:Thompson, Lynn (May 28, 2002).
614:. Washington Secretary of State
608:"Charles Z. Smith: Trailblazer"
496:in 1976 and was a supporter of
301:whose grandparents were former
388:United States Attorney General
317:Education and military service
182:United States Attorney General
1:
866:People from Maitland, Florida
856:People from Lakeland, Florida
481:. He was also concerned with
374:. Smith and became the first
871:20th-century American judges
747:"Smith, Charles Z. (1927- )"
652:. The Seattle Times Company
492:Smith was president of the
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720:. University of Washington
432:Washington State Governor
411:King County Superior Court
327:historically black college
160:Florida A&M University
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791:Associate Justice of the
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494:American Baptist Churches
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846:Temple University alumni
793:Washington Supreme Court
467:state's racial diversity
439:American Bar Association
307:Franklin, North Carolina
168:University of Washington
42:Washington Supreme Court
831:African-American judges
445:appointed Smith to the
409:appointed Smith to the
334:Martin Luther King Jr.
330:Florida Normal College
281:to hold the position.
537:Pioneer Human Service
502:religious persecution
243:Years of service
180:Special assistant to
483:immigration equality
473:who were subject to
422:Marine Corps Reserve
396:United States Senate
325:, then president of
743:Alexander, Gerry L.
687:. The HistoryMakers
498:freedom of religion
382:from 1956 to 1960.
323:William H. Gray Jr.
149:Seattle, Washington
124:Seattle, Washington
714:"Charles Z. Smith"
487:Latino communities
471:Japanese Americans
380:Charles O. Carroll
289:Smith was born in
237:United States Army
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808:
800:Succeeded by
787:Preceded by
745:(July 11, 2007).
418:KOMO-TV and radio
384:Robert F. Kennedy
352:Temple University
340:Temple University
311:Maitland, Florida
291:Lakeland, Florida
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164:Temple University
108:Lakeland, Florida
105:February 23, 1927
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309:; Lakeland; and
299:African American
279:African American
267:Charles Z. Smith
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202:Military service
141:Eleanor M. Smith
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90:Personal details
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30:Charles Z. Smith
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338:Smith attended
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117:August 28, 2016
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616:. Retrieved
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459:civil rights
457:Smith was a
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443:Bill Clinton
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362:Legal career
344:US Air Force
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255:World War II
251:Battles/wars
146:Residence(s)
119:(2016-08-28)
75:Nominated by
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18:
826:2016 deaths
821:1927 births
685:CivicMakers
405:. Governor
130:Nationality
815:Categories
797:1988–2002
568:References
475:internment
285:Early life
207:Allegiance
174:Occupation
155:Alma mater
101:1927-02-23
407:Dan Evans
368:law firms
246:1945-1946
186:professor
50:In office
551:See also
518:Pakistan
394:for the
133:American
392:his run
64: (
56: (
531:Legacy
516:, and
303:slaves
234:
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138:Spouse
514:India
510:Egypt
506:China
453:Views
376:clerk
295:Cuban
194:judge
62:–2002
758:2015
726:2015
693:2015
658:2015
620:2015
485:and
190:dean
114:Died
95:Born
66:2002
58:1988
54:1988
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