Bruce Armistead Smathers

Bruce Armistead Smathers, former Florida secretary of state. Born in 1943 in Miami, he comes from a long line of Floridians. His great-grandfather, Col. S.A. Jones, came to Tampa on Christmas Day, 1876, when there were only 700 people living there. His maternal grandfather, John Townley, arrived in Miami in 1896, opening the first pharmacy and the second movie tent in what is now Miami-Dade County. His father, George A. Smathers, came to Miami as a child of 6 years in 1919, and subsequently became a member of Congress (1947 to 1950) and a United States senator (1951 to 1968). Bruce Smathers was a member of the Florida State Senate from 1972 to 1975 and then was elected to and served as secretary of state of Florida from 1975 to 1978. He is a longtime supporter and advocate for St. Augustine as the nation's first permanent settlement. He is also a member of Florida Historical Society. He earned a degree in economics from Yale and a law degree from University of Florida. A NROTC graduate, he joined Underwater Demolition Team 11, served with Naval Special Warfare Pacific and is a decorated Vietnam War veteran.