Arlo Smith
Arlo Smith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Smith in 1982 | |
| 25th District Attorney of San Francisco | |
| In office January 8, 1980 – January 8, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Freitas Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Terence Hallinan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 9, 1927 Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 2025 (aged 98) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
Arlo Eugene Smith (October 9, 1927 – October 9, 2025) was an American lawyer who served as the District Attorney of San Francisco, California from 1980 to 1996. He was the Democratic candidate for attorney general of California in 1990, but lost to Dan Lungren.[1]
Life and career
Smith was born in Minnesota on October 9, 1927,[2][3] and grew up in San Bernardino, California.[3] He received his bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.[3] Following a 26-year career as a state prosecutor, he was elected San Francisco's district attorney in 1979; he defeated four major opponents in that election, including incumbent Joseph Freitas, whose reputation was damaged by his office's failure to secure murder convictions for Dan White for the Moscone–Milk assassinations.[4]
He won three more terms in 1983, 1987, and 1991 without opposition, but in 1995, he was defeated for re-election, finishing third amid challenges from Terence Hallinan and Bill Fazio, the latter of whom was a prosecutor in Smith's office, and whom Smith fired after learning of his intention to run against him.[5] Fazio ran a tough on crime campaign, while Hallinan took more liberal positions.[5] Though Hallinan tied Fazio to Smith as an attack, Smith endorsed the ultimately victorious Hallinan in the subsequent runoff.[5][6]
Smith died on October 9, 2025, at the age of 98.[7]
References
- ^ "Arlo Smith's profile on OurCampaigns.com".
- ^ "ARLO SMITH". SFGate. September 10, 1995. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Opatrny, Dennis J. (November 2, 1995). "Smith might miss DA runoff". The San Francisco Examiner. p. A7. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hatfield, Larry D.; Dolan, Maura (September 26, 1979). "Who will be the next Mr. (or Ms.) District Attorney?". The San Francisco Examiner. p. B1. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Opatrny, Dennis J. (November 7, 1995). "Polar foes Hallinan, Fazio oust DA Smith". The San Francisco Examiner. p. A1, A16. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lewis, Gregory (November 16, 1995). "Arlo Smith endorses Hallinan for DA". The San Francisco Examiner. p. A11. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Former San Francisco DA Arlo Smith dies at 98". San Francisco Chronicle. October 10, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.