Gordon H. Smith Bio
Gordon Harold Smith (born May 25, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, attorney, and religious leader who represented Oregon in the United States Senate from 1997 to 2009 as a Republican. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he later served as president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters from 2009 to 2022 and has held successive lay leadership roles within his church. He is the last Republican to represent Oregon in the U.S. Senate and a member of the prominent Udall political family.
Early Life and Background
Gordon Harold Smith was born on May 25, 1952, in Pendleton, Oregon, to Milan Dale Smith and Jessica (Udall) Smith. During his childhood, his family moved to Bethesda, Maryland, after his father took a position as an Assistant United States Secretary of Agriculture. Growing up, Smith was active in the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, an early sign of his lifelong commitment to civic and community involvement.
After high school, he served for two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. Smith then attended Brigham Young University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, before going on to receive a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law. He worked as an attorney in New Mexico and Arizona before returning to Oregon in the 1980s to lead the family-owned Smith Frozen Foods company in Weston, Oregon.
Path to US Politics
Smith entered elective politics in 1992, winning a seat in the Oregon State Senate. By 1995, his colleagues had elevated him to the position of Oregon State Senate President, giving him a high-profile platform within state government and preparing him for a national role.
Later in 1995, Smith entered a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Bob Packwood. In the January 1996 special election, he was narrowly defeated by then-Congressman Ron Wyden, but the close contest introduced him to voters across Oregon. When Senator Mark Hatfield announced his retirement later in 1996, Smith launched a second Senate campaign in the same year, won the Republican primary, and defeated Democrat Tom Bruggere in the general election, becoming the first person to run for the U.S. Senate twice in one year in Oregon.
Gordon H. Smith Career
Early Career (1992–1996)
Smith’s early political career began at the state level, where he served in the Oregon State Senate from 1992 and rose to become its president in 1995. In that leadership role, he built relationships with colleagues across the aisle and gained experience managing legislative priorities. His ambition for higher office soon became clear when he entered the 1996 special election to succeed Bob Packwood.
Although Smith lost that initial special election to Ron Wyden by roughly 18,200 votes, he carried all but eight Oregon counties, including most of the rural and eastern regions of the state. The narrow loss positioned him well for a second bid that same year, and the experience sharpened his campaign organization for the races ahead.
U.S. Senate Breakthrough (1997–2002)
Gordon H. Smith took office in the United States Senate in January 1997, becoming only the second Oregon senator from the eastern side of the state since 1938. He was the first person to run for the U.S. Senate twice in a single year in Oregon, and his general-election victory over Democrat Tom Bruggere marked a personal breakthrough on the national stage.
During his first term, Smith chaired the Special Committee on Aging and served on the Commerce, Science and Transportation, Energy and Natural Resources, Finance, and Indian Affairs committees. He also became the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade and Global Competitiveness. He won re-election in 2002, defeating Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury by 210,389 votes and carrying all but one Oregon county.
Re-election Battle (2002–2008)
Smith entered his second term with strong approval ratings and a reputation for working across party lines. In a 2007 poll, his favorable rating stood at 40 percent, with 20 percent unfavorable, and his office characterized the relatively low numbers as a reflection of public frustration with Congress in general rather than with him personally.
His second re-election campaign came in 2008, when he faced Oregon State House Speaker Jeff Merkley. The result was too close to call for almost two days, and ultimately Merkley was declared the winner, 49 percent to 46 percent, with 5 percent going to Constitution Party candidate David Brownlow. Smith carried all but six Oregon counties, but he could not overcome a 142,000-vote deficit in Multnomah County, home to Portland, ending his Senate career.
National Association of Broadcasters Era (2009–2022)
After leaving the Senate, Smith was named president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters on September 18, 2009, and began his tenure on November 1, 2009. In that role, he led the trade association’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and at the Federal Communications Commission, advocating on issues such as voluntary incentive auctions of broadcast TV spectrum, retransmission consent rules, and efforts by record labels to impose a performance fee on local radio stations for music airplay.
Broadcast industry executives credited Smith’s leadership with improving the organization’s lobbying influence. In October 2012, he was named one of Washington’s top lobbyists by The Hill, and in 2018 he was named Radio Ink’s Radio Executive of the Year. He announced his retirement from the NAB, effective January 1, 2022, and was succeeded by the association’s chief operating officer, Curtis LeGeyt.
LDS Church Service (2012–Present)
On March 31, 2012, Smith was called as an area seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a lay leadership role overseeing church operations in assigned regions. He served in that position until his release in August 2022, after more than a decade of service.
On March 19, 2025, Smith and his wife Sharon were announced as the church’s directors of hosting at Temple Square, a role in which they help coordinate the experience of visitors to the faith’s flagship campus in Salt Lake City. In 2025, Smith also continues to serve on the board of directors of the International Republican Institute.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Smith’s career, his 1997 entry into the U.S. Senate made him the first Oregonian to run for the Senate twice in a single year, while his 2008 loss made him the only member of the 2008 Udall family Senate slate to fail in his re-election bid. He helped champion the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, signed by President George W. Bush in 2004, which authorized $82 million for suicide-prevention and awareness programs at colleges.
Gordon H. Smith Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Smith is a member of the Udall political family through his mother, Jessica Udall Smith, who was a cousin of Representatives Mo Udall of Arizona and Stewart Udall of Arizona. He is a double second cousin of Senators Mark Udall of Colorado and Tom Udall of New Mexico, a relationship that arose because their great-grandparents included a pair of brothers and a pair of sisters who married each other. His brother, Milan Dale Smith Jr., is a federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006, and in 2010 another second cousin, Republican Mike Lee of Utah, was elected to the Senate.
Personal Life
Gordon H. Smith is married to Sharon Smith, and together they adopted three children: two sons, Morgan and Garrett, and a daughter, Brittany. On September 8, 2003, the Smiths suffered the loss of their son Garrett, a 21-year-old college student majoring in culinary arts, who died by suicide. In response, Smith wrote the book Remembering Garrett, One Family’s Battle with a Child’s Depression, advocating for greater mental-health awareness among young people.