2019 -- H 5215

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES TO THE SMITH FAMILY ON THE PASSING OF ROBERT

ELLIS SMITH

     Introduced By: Representatives Filippi, Shekarchi, Hull, Lyle, and Kennedy

     Date Introduced: January 29, 2019

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Robert Ellis Smith was born in Providence and educated at the Moses

Brown School, Harvard University, where he was the President of the Harvard Crimson student

newspaper, and the Georgetown University Law Center. After graduation and a period of service

in the United States Army, he embarked on a very successful and renowned career in journalism

and as an author; and

     WHEREAS, In 1965, Mr. Smith was the founder, editor and manager of the Southern

Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Montgomery, Alabama, where he covered important

events of the civil rights movement not covered by the larger media outlets. He had the honor of

working with, and commissioning articles by civil rights luminaries such as Martin Luther King,

Jr., and Rosa Parks; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Smith later worked as a reporter and editor for major media entities

like the Detroit Free Press, the Trenton Times, and Newsday. He also worked for a period of time

as a civil Rights Official for the United States Government; and

     WHEREAS, Starting in the 1970's, Mr. Smith began to believe that rapid advances in

technology and communication would lead to serious legal issues in the area of personal privacy.

In 1974, he started publishing a "Privacy Journal", a monthly newsletter he ran and operated from

a house in Washington, DC. In 1977, the Washington Post described his newsletter as being "the

most talked-about Washington newsletter since I.F. Stone's Weekly." In 1980, at its peak, his

newsletter had 6,000 subscribers; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Smith served on the District of Columbia Human Rights Commission in

the 1980's where he decided cases involving allegations of discrimination based on race, gender,

age and sexual orientation; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Smith was also a prodigious writer, authoring twelve books, many on

the subject of privacy. In 1990, he moved back to Providence where he continued to write about

privacy-related issues, and taught classes at Harvard, Brown University, the University of

Maryland, and Roger Williams Law School. He was a former Town Commissioner for Block

Island, where he had a vacation home; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Smith leaves behind his sons, Marc Smith, David Ellis Smith, and

Benjamin Smith, and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Gregor Smith; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby expresses its condolences to the Smith Family on the passing of

Robert Ellis Smith; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mr. Marc Smith, Mr. David Ellis Smith, and

Mr. Benjamin Smith.

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