Christopher H. Smith
RepublicanU.S. Representative, NJ-4| Age | 73 (b. 1953-03-04) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 1981-01-05 (~45 yrs) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | Graduated from St. Mary's High School (Perth Amboy, NJ) in 1971; attended Worcester College (England) in 1974; earned a B.S. in business administration from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) in 1975. |
| Prior occupation | Worked in his family's sporting goods business; served part-time as executive director of the New Jersey Right to Life Committee (from 1978) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Rahway, New Jersey |
| Marital status | Married — Marie Hahn Smith |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Herndon, Virginia (maintains apartment in Hamilton, New Jersey) |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1980 |
| Committees | House Committee on Foreign Affairs · House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights (Chair) · House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere · Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission · Congressional-Executive Commission on China · Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Pro-Life Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · Republican Main Street Partnership · Republican Governance Group · Problem Solvers Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | Chair, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (2001-2005) · Co-chair, Congressional Pro-Life Caucus · Dean of the New Jersey congressional delegation |
| Party history | Registered as a Democrat before 1978; switched to the Republican Party in 1978. |
| Ideology | Conservative voting record but now ranked among the most moderate Republicans in the House due to the GOP's overall rightward shift; GovTrack places him on the right side of its ideology spectrum. Ranked 17th most bipartisan House member in the 114th Congress (Lugar Center). |
| Signature legislation | Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) · International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation (Public Law 114-119, 2016) · Autism CARES Act of 2014 (and 2024 reauthorization) · United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Acts (2022, 2024) · Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act (2019) · Sami's Law (2022) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $212,012–$212,012 (2018) · estimate
| Synchrony Bank (commercial bank deposit) | other · $180,293–$180,293 · 2018 |
| Vanguard Money Market (Inherited IRA) | fund · $31,719–$31,719 · 2018 |
Top donors: American Israel Public Affairs Cmte (AIPAC) ($11,213) · Drexel Liquor Store Inc ($11,000) · Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America ($10,000) · Operating Engineers Union ($10,000) · Air Line Pilots Assn ($10,000)
Top industries: Pro-Israel · Retired · Building trades unions · Air transport unions · Abortion policy/Anti-Abortion
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.