{{short description|Sheriff and United States Army general (born 1947)}} {{use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Donald B. Smith | image = Portrait of U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Donald B. Smith.jpg | alt = A white man in a US Army uniform is facing the camera, smiling and looking into it. | caption = Brigadier General Smith in January 1994 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|09|18}} | birth_place = Danbury, Connecticut, US | education = {{unbulleted list|BS, US Military Academy|MS, Uni. of Southern CA}} | occupation = {{hlist|Soldier|sheriff}} | political_party = Republican | spouse = {{marriage|Jane Powell<br />|1972-06-24|2015-12-06|end=d}} | children = Two; nine grandchildren | module2 = {{Infobox officeholder |embed = yes | office = Putnam County, New York{{!}}Sheriff of Putnam County, NY | order = 54th | term_start = {{start date|2002|01|01}} | term_end = {{end date|2017|12|29}} | successor = Robert L. Langley Jr. | predecessor = Robert D. Thoubboron }} | module = {{Infobox military person |embed=yes | branch = United States Army | service_years = 1969– | service_years_label = Years | rank = Brigadier general | awards = {{unbulleted list|Defense Superior Service|Legion of Merit × 2}} | branch_label = Branch | battles = Vietnam War<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> | battles_label = Conflicts }} | signature = signature of Donald B. Smith (undated).png }}
'''Donald Blaine Smith''' (born September 18, 1947) is an American former sheriff of Putnam County, New York, and a retired United States Army officer.
==Personal life== Donald Blaine Smith,<ref name="West Point Association of Graduates" /> born on September 18, 1947<ref name="Episcopal Diocese of New York" /> in Danbury, Connecticut, grew up in the Putnam County town of Patterson, New York.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> Smith married Jane Powell (born 1951) on June 24, 1972, at the Holy Trinity Church in Pawling, New York; she died of breast cancer on December 6, 2015. Smith has two children (Christopher and Cherilynne)<ref name="2015-12-10 PDV" /> and, {{as of|2017|12|lc=yes}}, nine grandchildren.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> That same year, records showed that Smith owned multiple properties in New York, Florida, and Virginia with a summative value of {{US$|1.149 million}} (equivalent to about ${{inflation|US|1.149|2017|r=3}}M in {{inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="2017-10-26 The Journal News" />
==Education== Smith graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1965, and the United States Military Academy in 1969. After receiving his Bachelor of Science from the latter, Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Smith later earned his Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" />
==Military career== While in the Army, Smith attended and graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the National Defense University (1986). From 1993–1996, Smith served as the chief of the United States delegation to the International Military Sports Council.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" />
Awards received during his military service include <!-- from highest honor descending -->the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legion of Merits, the Bronze Star Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, and two Army Commendation Medals.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> Smith's promotion from colonel to brigadier general was scheduled to go before the United States Senate on March 3, 1992;<ref name="1992-03-03 Senate Executive Calendar" /> he later retired from the Army at that higher rank.<ref name="2017-09-28 The Journal News" />
==Sheriff's career== Robert D. Thoubboron was elected as the Putnam County, New York sheriff in 1985, but by 2001, he and his office were embroiled in controversies including abuse of civil and political rights, drunken law enforcement officers, and retaliatory abuse of power.<ref name="2001-06-14 NYT" /> Smith, then the deputy county executive for Putnam County (since 1999),<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> had no law-enforcement experience. Despite this, he secured the endorsement of the Democratic, Conservative, Independence, and Green parties<ref name="2001-06-14 NYT" /> before defeating Thoubboron in the 2001 Putnam County Republican Party primary election. With the single-purpose platform of "bring[ing] integrity back to the Sheriff's Department leadership,"<ref name="2001-09-28 NYT" /> Smith received 62% of votes to Thoubboron's 38%.<ref name="2001-09-11 Putnam County Board of Elections" /> Instead of conceding however, Thoubboron ran against Smith again in the general election under the banner of "Safe County", a political party created solely for the incumbent sheriff;<ref name="2001-09-28 NYT" /> on November 11, 2001, Smith defeated Thoubboron again, this time with 76% of the vote.<ref name="2001-11-06 Putnam County Board of Elections" />
Elected as the 54th sheriff of Putnam County,<ref name="PCSD Sheriffs of Putnam County" /> Smith took office on January 1, 2002. According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department biography of Smith, during the sheriff's tenure he has focused his efforts on community policing, "increasing the intensity of the war on drugs," and promoting "drivers’ safety programs and safety belt usage". Smith's biography also said that his leadership is responsible for the expansion of school resource officers in Putnam County middle and high schools.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" />
Smith has been a three-time officeholder with the New York State Sheriffs' Association (NYSSA), serving as their president, chairman of their legislative committee, and as a trustee on their executive board.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> In 2013, while representing the NYSSA, Smith evoked the United States Declaration of Independence and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution when he spoke out against the NY SAFE Act. The NYSSA and Smith personally joined the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association's lawsuit alleging the legislation violated the constitutions of the United States and of New York.<ref name="2013-05-24 Human Events" /> After the 2016 death of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, the lawsuit was dropped out of fear that the court could rule against them, setting precedent.<ref name="2016-05-08 North County Public Radio" />
By 2017, Smith's county salary was {{US$|142818|2017|long=no}}.<ref name="2017-10-26 The Journal News" /> Running that year for his fifth term as sheriff, Smith lost to Robert L. Langley Jr. by 341 votes. After 16 years as sheriff, Smith stepped down as Langley was sworn-in on December 29, 2017.<ref name="2017-12-31 Southeast-Brewster Patch" />
===Electoral history=== {{election box begin no change |title=2001 primary, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2001-11-06 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=3536 |percentage=61.75}} {{election box candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Robert D. Thoubboron |votes=2189 |percentage=38.23}} {{election box end}}
{{election box begin no change |title=2001 general, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2001-11-06 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=15741 |percentage=75.63}} {{election box candidate minor party no change |party=Safe County |candidate=Robert D. Thoubboron |votes=5,068 |percentage=24.35}} {{election box end}}
{{election box begin no change |title=2005 general, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2005-11-08 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=13254 |percentage=99.98}} {{election box end}}
{{election box begin no change |title=2009 general, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2009-11-03 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=11563 |percentage=59.72}} {{election box candidate with party link no change |party=Democratic Party (United States) |candidate=Kevin J. McConville |votes=6440 |percentage=33.26}} {{election box candidate with party link no change |party=Working Families Party |candidate=Jim Borkowski |votes=1351 |percentage=6.98}} {{election box end}}
{{election box begin no change |title=2013 general, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2013-11-05 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=11524 |percentage=98.76}} {{election box end}}
{{election box begin no change |title=2017 general, Sheriff, Putnam County, New York<ref name="2017-11-07 Putnam County Board of Elections" />}} {{election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Democratic Party (United States) |candidate=Robert L. Langley |votes=12330 |percentage=49.67}} {{election box candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Donald B. Smith |votes=12006 |percentage=48.37}} {{election box end}}
===Adam Levy controversy=== Adam Levy served as the Putnam County, New York district attorney (DA) from 2007–2015, and his relationship with Smith quickly befouled when each began arguing with the other over "perceived intrusions into each man's respective county agency." By January 2013, Smith had begun writing to New York and United States federal law enforcement agencies about Levy's alleged interference.<ref name="2017-09-28 The Journal News" />
Alexandru Hossu was a Romanian in the United States on a years-expired travel visa. A friend and personal trainer to Levy, Hossu was arrested by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department on March 20, 2013, and charged with raping a 12-year-old girl. Levy claimed the arrest was a political stunt by Smith in an effort to embarrass the district attorney; the sheriff's office issued press releases declaring Levy's address as Hossu's, though the latter "had not stayed there for months." Smith responded by saying that Levy was interfering with the investigation and that "Levy, 'or someone acting at his direction,' had even tipped off Hossu and coached him on what to say during a monitored call with the alleged rape victim prior to the arrest."<ref name="2017-09-28 The Journal News" />
DA Levy contributed {{US$|30000|long=no}} to his friend's defense, and Hossu's lawyer was Levy's brother-in-law. Levy denied interfering in the criminal investigation nor knowing Hossu's visa status at the time of the arrest. Smith released a retraction "in which he apologized and acknowledged statements he made about Levy were 'untrue.{{'"}} In June 2017, Levy's defamation lawsuit against Smith was settled with the sheriff agreeing to drop his own lawsuit against Levy and pay {{US$|150000|2017|long=no}}.<ref name="2017-09-28 The Journal News" /> Of that amount, Smith paid {{US$|25000|long=no}} while Putnam County paid the rest. In late 2019, Hossu's lawsuit against Smith and the county was finalized: the government's insurer paid the man {{US$|500000|2019|long=no}}, while the county itself owed half as much.<ref name="2020-02-19 The Putnam County News" />
==Community involvement== In the Putnam County region, Smith has been involved in community organizations including as president of the Westchester–Putnam Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Mental Health Association in Putnam County.<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith" /> {{as of|2017|12}}, Smith was the chairman of the American Security Council Foundation's board of directors.<ref name="ASCF Board of Directors" />
==References== <references>
<!-- dated references arranged reverse-chronologically -->
<ref name="1992-03-03 Senate Executive Calendar">{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/executive_calendar/1992/03_03_1992.pdf |title=Executive Calendar |last=Hackett |first=Gerald A. |date=1992-03-03 |publisher=United States Senate |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230082552/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/executive_calendar/1992/03_03_1992.pdf |archive-date=2018-12-30 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-13}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2001-06-14 NYT">{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=David W. |date=2001-06-14 |title=Critics Say Sheriff Is the Law; In Bucolic Putnam County, an Election Stirs Passions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/14/nyregion/critics-say-sheriff-law-bucolic-putnam-county-election-stirs-passions.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527162201/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/14/nyregion/critics-say-sheriff-law-bucolic-putnam-county-election-stirs-passions.html |archive-date=2015-05-27 |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2001-09-11 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2001-PRIMARY-ELECTION-CERTIFIED-RESULTS-FOR-WEB-PAGE.pdf |title=Putnam County Primary Election |date=2001-09-11 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208191439/http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2001-PRIMARY-ELECTION-CERTIFIED-RESULTS-FOR-WEB-PAGE.pdf |archive-date=2019-02-08 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2001-09-28 NYT">{{cite news |date=2001-09-28 |title=Putnam Sheriff Won't Concede Despite Defeat by Newcomer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/nyregion/putnam-sheriff-won-t-concede-despite-defeat-by-newcomer.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527175948/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/nyregion/putnam-sheriff-won-t-concede-despite-defeat-by-newcomer.html |archive-date=2015-05-27 |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2001-11-06 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2001-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |title=Putnam County General Election |date=2001-11-06 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208183305/http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2001-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |archive-date=2019-02-08 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2005-11-08 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamcountyny.com/boe/hist/2005elections/2005%20ELECTION%20RESULTS%20GENERAL%20NOVEMBER%208%202005.pdf |title=Putnam County General Election |date=2005-11-08 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016164948/http://www.putnamcountyny.com/boe/hist/2005elections/2005%20ELECTION%20RESULTS%20GENERAL%20NOVEMBER%208%202005.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-16 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2009-11-03 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2009-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |title=Putnam County General Election |date=2009-11-03 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201233113/http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2009-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |archive-date=2017-12-01 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2013-05-24 Human Events">{{cite news |last1=Okyay |first1=Raquel |date=2013-05-24 |title=Empire State sheriffs, Cuomo SAFE Act showdown |url=http://humanevents.com/2013/05/24/empire-state-sheriffs-cuomo-showdown/ |url-status=live |work=Human Events |language=en |issn=0018-7194 |oclc=818923121 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025132712/http://humanevents.com/2013/05/24/empire-state-sheriffs-cuomo-showdown/ |archive-date=2017-10-25 |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2013-11-05 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2013-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |title=Putnam County General Election |date=2013-11-05 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201232826/http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2013-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS.pdf |archive-date=2017-12-01 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2015-12-10 PDV">{{cite news |date=2015-12-10 |title=Jane Powell Smith, 64, Of Kent Lakes |url=http://putnam.dailyvoice.com/obituaries/jane-powell-smith-64-of-kent-lakes/609847/ |url-status=live |work=Putnam Daily Voice |location=Kent Lakes, New York |access-date=2018-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211050905/https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/putnam/obituaries/jane-powell-smith-64-of-kent-lakes/609847/ |archive-date=2021-02-11}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2016-05-08 North County Public Radio">{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Brian |date=2016-05-08 |title=Gun rights group drops SAFE Act challenge |url=https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/31222/20160308/gun-rights-group-drops-safe-act-challenge |url-status=live |language=en |publisher=North Country Public Radio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201125423/https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/31222/20160308/gun-rights-group-drops-safe-act-challenge |archive-date=2016-12-01 |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-09-28 The Journal News">{{cite news |last1=Fitz-Gibbon |first1=Jorge |date=2017-09-28 |title=Putnam Sheriff Don Smith wanted ex-DA Adam Levy charged by feds, records show |url=http://www.lohud.com/story/news/2017/09/28/putnam-sheriff-smith-levy/703922001/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Journal News |location=White Plains, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224000840/http://www.lohud.com/story/news/2017/09/28/putnam-sheriff-smith-levy/703922001/ |archive-date=2017-12-24 |access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-10-26 The Journal News">{{cite news |last1=Fitz-Gibbon |first1=Jorge |date=2017-10-26 |title=Putnam sheriff Don Smith's $150K defamation settlement against Adam Levy under scrutiny |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/investigations/2017/10/26/putnam-sheriff-don-smith-settlement/784836001/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Journal News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025203919/https://www.lohud.com/story/news/investigations/2017/10/26/putnam-sheriff-don-smith-settlement/784836001/ |archive-date=2020-10-25 |access-date=2021-02-11}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-11-07 Putnam County Board of Elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-WEBPAGE-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS-CERTIFIED.pdf |title=Putnam County General Election |date=2017-11-07 |publisher=Putnam County Board of Elections |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022459/http://www.putnamboe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-WEBPAGE-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS-CERTIFIED.pdf |archive-date=2018-02-13 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2017-12-31 Southeast-Brewster Patch">{{cite news |last1=Taliaferro |first1=Lanning |date=2017-12-31 |title=2018 Ushers In New Era At Putnam County Sheriff's Office |url=https://patch.com/new-york/southeast/2018-ushers-new-era-putnam-county-sheriffs-office |url-status=live |work=Southeast-Brewster Patch |publisher=Patch.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101003531/https://patch.com/new-york/southeast/2018-ushers-new-era-putnam-county-sheriffs-office |archive-date=2018-01-01 |access-date=2018-01-22 |quote=A new leadership team headed by Robert L. Langley Jr. took the reins Friday after a swearing-in ceremony at the historic courthouse.}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="2020-02-19 The Putnam County News">{{cite news |last1=Cunningham |first1=Douglas |date=2020-02-09 |title=Cunningham's Corner: The Costs of Having Donald Smith as Sheriff |url=https://www.pcnr.com/articles/cunninghams-corner-the-costs-of-having-donald-smith-as-sheriff/ |url-status=live |work=The Putnam County News |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304061103/https://www.pcnr.com/articles/cunninghams-corner-the-costs-of-having-donald-smith-as-sheriff/ |archive-date=2020-03-04 |access-date=2021-02-11}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<!-- undated references arranged alphabetically -->
<ref name="ASCF Board of Directors">{{cite web |url=https://ascfusa.org/board-of-directors/ |title=Board of Directors |publisher=American Security Council Foundation |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227180355/https://ascfusa.org/board-of-directors/ |archive-date=2017-12-27 |url-status=live |access-date=2017-12-27 }}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="Episcopal Diocese of New York">Ancestry.com. ''New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970'' [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="PCSD Sheriff Donald B. Smith">{{cite web |url=https://www.putnamsheriff.com/sheriff-donald-b-smith |title=Sheriff Donald B. Smith |publisher=Putnam County Sheriff's Department |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026002506/https://www.putnamsheriff.com/sheriff-donald-b-smith |archive-date=2017-10-26 |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-12-26 |date=June 2017}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="PCSD Sheriffs of Putnam County">{{cite web |url=https://putnamsheriff.com/sheriffs-putnam-county |title=Sheriffs of Putnam County |publisher=Putnam County Sheriff's Department |location=Putnam County, New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122214926/https://putnamsheriff.com/sheriffs-putnam-county |archive-date=2018-01-22 |url-status=live |access-date=2018-01-22}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
<ref name="West Point Association of Graduates">{{cite web |url=https://www.westpointaog.org/FindaGradDisplay?reid=Qmd5LPNea1UMm8h0Xt28AQ%3d%3d&bbsys=0&bbrt=0 |title=West Point Association of Graduates |language=en |access-date=2021-04-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411025409/https://www.westpointaog.org/FindaGradDisplay?reid=Qmd5LPNea1UMm8h0Xt28AQ%3D%3D&bbsys=0&bbrt=0 |archive-date=2021-04-11}}</ref><!-- exhausted -->
</references>
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Donald B. Smith}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Donald B.}} Category:1947 births Category:Brigadier generals Category:Chairpersons of organizations Category:Living people Category:National Defense University alumni Category:New York (state) Republicans Category:New York Military Academy alumni Category:People from Danbury, Connecticut Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:Sheriffs of Putnam County, New York Category:United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:University of Southern California alumni