What to know about Georgia’s Calvin Smyre, who could be United States’ newest ambassador
Calvin Smyre, who was nominated Wednesday to be U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, is the longest-serving member of the Georgia General Assembly, with 46 years in the House of Representatives.
He retired in 2014 as executive vice president at Synovus Financial Corp., where he worked for 38 years. In 1970, he graduated from Fort Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management and operations, according to his LinkedIn page.
His biography on the Georgia House website lists the following highlights:
Smyre began his political career as a community organizer and director of the “War on Poverty” program in Columbus, where he was born.
In 1974, Smyre was elected to the Georgia House as its youngest member. He chairs the House Minority Caucus and serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Rules Committee.
His peers elected him as chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus in 1979 and president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials in 1982.
In 1983, then-Gov. Joe Frank Harris appointed Smyre assistant administrative floor leader. Two years later, Harris appointed him administrative floor leader, making him the first Black legislator to hold that position in state history.
In 1985, Smyre became the first Black official from Georgia elected to the Democratic National Committee.
Smyre authored the legislation making the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a state holiday and co-sponsored the legislation that created a new state flag, eliminating the Confederate battle emblem.
On the national level, Smyre has served as president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, a member of the Assembly on State Issues for the National Conference of State Legislators and the Synovus representative on the Financial Services Roundtable.
In Columbus, Smyre was instrumental in securing the funding for the $62 million RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. He chaired the facility’s project development team and the board. He also served as president of the Liberty Theatre Cultural Center.
Smyre has served on the board of trustees for Morehouse School of Medicine, the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, the Columbus State University Foundation, the Columbus Museum and the Fort Valley State University Foundation.
He also is a former board of trustees member for the Columbus Medical Center, the University of Georgia Foundation and the Jack D. Hughston Hospital Foundation. He is former chairman of the Columbus Metro Urban League and the Fort Valley State University National Alumni Association.
Smyre is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Boy Scouts of America, NAACP, SCLC and Ward Chapel AME Church, where he serves on the board of trustees.
