Smith, Linda, 1950 July 16-

Linda Smith (born July 16, 1950) is an American nonprofit executive and politician. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Washington's 3rd congressional district from 1995 to 1999.

Born Linda Ann Simpson in La Junta, Colorado, she grew up in modest circumstances, moving with her family to Clark County, Washington in 1966. She graduated from Fort Vancouver High School in 1968 and married Vern Smith, a locomotive engineer, a few weeks shy of her eighteenth birthday. Smith became the manager of a number of independent tax offices in Southern Washington before entering elective politics by defeating an appointed Democratic incumbent in a special election for a seat in the Washington state house of representatives. In 1987, she moved up to the state Senate, giving Republicans control of that chamber, and remained there until her supporters began a September 1994 write-in campaign to elect her to Washington's 3rd congressional district. Thanks in part to a third party candidate siphoning away votes from Democrat Jolene Unsoeld, Smith was elected as part of the 1994 Republican Revolution.

During her time in Congress, Smith was known for her strong pro-life stance and her maverick tendencies, such as opposing the Balanced Budget Amendment, supporting campaign finance reform, and being one of 9 House Republicans to vote against confirming House Speaker Newt Gingrich in early 1997. She also had a reputation for opposing gay rights and viewed homosexuality as a "morally unfit inclination." She was consistently rated one of the most conservative House Members in the 104th and 105th Congresses, voting against gun control and environmental legislation, perceiving the latter as a threat to property rights. Smith gave up her House seat to run against U.S. Senator Patty Murray in 1998, losing by a 16-point margin.

After Congress, Smith returned to Vancouver, Washington, where she started a nonprofit called Shared Hope International. Smith’s group raised money and awareness to free women and children who were the victims of sex-trafficking and end all forms of human trafficking. By early 2002, the organization operated 19 homes in India, Nepal, and Jamaica, accommodating up to 300 people.