In the 20th century, South Providence produced two governors and a chief justice. Still, the most constitutionally powerful position in state government eluded it until 1980, when Matt Smith became Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Raised by Irish immigrant parents in a modest home at the corner of Potters Avenue and Ocean Street in South Providence, Smith graduated from St. Michael’s School, La Salle Academy, and Providence College. After earning his master’s degree at Providence College in 1965, he completed his formal education, first at Notre Dame University and then at Brown University, where he studied history and political science under Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Elmer E. Cornwell.
After a brief start as a public-school teacher in 1968, he was selected by his former PC professors, Rev. Cornelius Forster, O.P., and Dr. Patrick T. Conley, to become the college’s first archivist. The archives were created as a result of a gift to the college of the voluminous papers of the recently deceased United States Congressman John E. Fogarty.
Smith was an ideal selection because of his unparalleled knowledge of mid-century Rhode Island politics. He had written authoritative scholarly articles on Pawtucket’s legendary political boss, Thomas P. McCoy, and an analysis of the famous “Long Count” Election of 1956, pitting incumbent Dennis J. Roberts against Judge Christopher Del Sesto. He also served on Congressman Robert Tierman’s Advisory Council.
After Smith established the archives, he taught American History at PC for twenty years. He collaborated with Patrick Conley to produce the highly acclaimed Catholicism in Rhode Island: The Formative Era, in preparation for the centennial observance of the Diocese of Providence.
In 1973, while expanding the archives with the collections of other political notables such as Dennis J. Roberts, Smith won a special election as a representative from the so-called Reservoir Triangle neighborhood of Providence.
Given his political knowledge and instincts, his wit, and his ingratiating personality, Smith soon became Finance Committee chairman (1977) and then rose to the rank of Speaker of the House in 1980. During his legislative tenure, he sponsored numerous beneficial programs listed in his longer Hall of Fame biography. In 1988, Smith left the General Assembly to become Clerk of the Supreme Court and State Court Administrator, a position he held until his resignation in 1993.
Since the end of his public career, Smith has devoted considerable attention to the Catholic Church, serving as Eucharistic Minister at St. Augustine’s Church. In 2016, he received the Lumen Gentium Award from the Diocese of Providence for his wide-ranging service to Catholicism.
Most recently, Smith joined with historian Russell DeSimone to publish the book “Fighting Bob Quinn: Political Reformer and the People’s Advocate based upon his many interviews with Governor Robert E. Quinn.
Smith’s Irish heritage has been exemplified by his appointments as Grand Marshal of the Newport and Providence St. Patrick’s Day Parades. His scholarship and commitment to education have been recognized by his receipt of honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales and Salve Regina Universities.
Smith married the former Claire Crepeau and lovingly cared for her during her long, final illness. The couple has four children: Judge Matthew Jr., Andrew, Daniel, and Kathleen, as well as nine grandchildren.
Matthew J. Smith was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2025.