Lamar S. Smith (born November 19, 1947) is a politician from the state of Texas, currently representing the state's 21st Congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives. He was born in San Antonio, Texas and he graduated from T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas and Yale University. Smith was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Republican in 1980. He served as Bexar County, Texas commissioner from 1982 to 1985. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. A conservative, Smith has advocated ways to reduce illegal immigration and has opposed proposals by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to offer legal status to some categories of immigrants who have entered the country illegally.
