Otis M. Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 214th Regent of the University of Michigan | |
| In office March 7, 1967 – 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Allan R. Sorenson |
| 78th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court | |
| In office 1961 – December 31, 1966 | |
| Appointed by | John Swainson |
| Preceded by | Talbot Smith |
| Succeeded by | Thomas E. Brennan |
| 36th Michigan Auditor General | |
| In office October 21, 1959 – October 9, 1961 | |
| Governor | G. Mennen Williams John Swainson |
| Preceded by | William R. Hart (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William A. Burgett (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Otis Milton Smith February 20, 1922 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Died | June 29, 1994 (aged 72) Detroit |
Otis Milton Smith (February 20, 1922 – June 29, 1994) was the first African American justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and the General Counsel for General Motors.[1]
Smith graduated from law school at The Catholic University of America in 1950, where he was a member of the first volume of the school's Law Review.[2]
He then went to Flint, Michigan, where he engaged in private practice until 1957. At that time he was appointed to the Michigan Public Service Commission.[3] His reputation for fighting graft there earned him a nickname: "the man who shot Santa Claus."[4]
From 1959 until 1961 Smith served as Michigan Auditor General.
He was appointed a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in 1961 by Governor John Swainson[5] He retained his seat in the 1962 election[6] but lost re-election in 1966, and was then hired by General Motors. He would rise to become vice-president and General Counsel. In 1968, Smith served as a presidential elector. In 1983, his portrait was dedicated at the Michigan Supreme Court.[7] A portrait also hangs in the admissions of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.[8]
A scholarship in his name is administered by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. It is given to a single mother, and can be used for tuition at Wayne State University, any campus of the University of Michigan, or the law school at The Catholic University of America.[9]
- ^ The Political Graveyard: Smith, Otis Milton
- ^ He was the co-author of Illegal Delay and Confessions in State and Federal Courts - A Civilized Standard, 1 Cath. U. L. Rev. 1 (1950). The Catholic University Law Review gives an annual award in his honor to a staff member for excellence in contributing to the Law Review.
- ^ "MPSC - Past Commission Membership". Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ "Man who accounts for Michigan's millions: Auditor-general Otis M. Smith is first Negro elected to state-wide post since Reconstruction". Ebony. 1961. pp. 75–80. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
Smith's work as chairman of the state Public Service Commission earned him state-wide support...[He] did such a thorough job of setting fair utility rates and eliminating possible graft that he was known on Michigan's Capitol Hill as 'the man who shot Santa Claus.'
- ^ "Otis Smith". Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Stetson, Damon (8 November 1962). "Romney Victory Held Personal As Running-Mates Are Beaten". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ "Columbus School of Law".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)