Timothy Stephen Smith
Palestine, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(February 20, 1902 – April 30, 2000) Born the son of a runaway slave, Smith yearned for a better life. He attended Prairie View A&M College and received a degree in vocational agriculture. He became a teacher, educating the children of North Carolina and Texas for 42 years. He also served Anderson County as chairman and election judge for Precinct 2, president of the Voter's Committee and was a member of the Democratic Party Executive Committee. A proponent of equal rights, he and others filed civil actions in 1973 to change the voting boundary lines in the county to equalize voting rights. They believed that the way the lines were drawn diluted Black voting strength. Judge William Wayne Justice agreed, stating the way the lines were drawn constituted a "racially motivated gerrymander" which was prohibited by a previous ruling in 1964. Anderson County switched from at-large voting districts to single-member districts for commissioners, constables, and justices of the peace. Because of their success, they filed suit against the City of Palestine stating their voting precinct boundary lines also diluted the Black voting strength. Judge Justice sided again with Smith and the lines were redrawn. The city switched from four at-large voting districts to six single-member voting districts. The county's first African American commissioner, Reginald O. Browne, was elected in 1978, and city councilmen Willie Myers and Rev. R.L. Linicomn were elected in 1977. Because they were successful in their effort, many African-American justices of the peace, city council members, county commissioners and constables have been elected. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in 1902 to a father who had escaped slavery, Timothy Stephen Smith earned a degree from Prairie View A&M and taught school for forty-two years. Convinced that Anderson County's voting boundaries diluted Black political strength, he and others sued in 1973; Judge William Wayne Justice agreed, striking down a "racially motivated gerrymander" and forcing a switch to single-member districts. Similar success against the City of Palestine soon followed, opening the way for the county's first Black officeholders.
Why it matters
Smith's courtroom victories translated the promise of the Voting Rights era into real representation, showing how local activists dismantled the structures that had silenced Black voters.
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Related people
- · Timothy Stephen Smith
- · Judge William Wayne Justice
- · Reginald O. Browne
Related events
- · 1973 voting-rights lawsuits, Anderson County
Themes & tags
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