Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)

Chris Smith
Official portrait, 2014
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Frank Thompson
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office January 4, 2001 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Bob Stump
Succeeded by	Steve Buyer
Personal details
Born	Christopher Henry Smith (1953-03-04) March 4, 1953 (age 71) Rahway, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1978–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1978)
Spouse	Marie Hahn ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	4
Education	Trenton State College (BS)
Website	House website
Chris Smith's voice Smith, as chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, speaks in support of the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 Recorded June 23, 2003

Christopher Henry Smith (born March 4, 1953) is an American politician serving his 22nd term as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 4th congressional district. Though it has taken various forms, his district has always been situated in central New Jersey. Currently, the district contains parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties. Smith is a member of the Republican Party, having switched from the Democratic Party in 1978.

Smith is the dean of New Jersey's congressional delegation and the longest-serving member of Congress in New Jersey's history.^[1] He has focused much of his career on promoting human rights abroad, including authoring the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 and several follow-on laws. From 1993 to 2019, he was the top House Republican on the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has used his leadership positions, including chairmanships, to author multiple pieces of legislation focused on human rights^[2] and conduct aggressive oversight of human rights abuses,^[3] actions that have earned him scorn from abusing nations.^[4]