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Thomas Daniel Smith (11 May 1915 – 27 July 1993) was a British politician who was Leader of Newcastle City Council from 1960 to 1965. He was a prominent figure in the Labour Party in North East England, such that he was nicknamed 'Mr Newcastle' (although his opponents called him the "Mouth of the Tyne").〔"Southern Discomfort" (leading article), ''The Times'', 3 August 1993.〕 Smith sought to clear Newcastle of slum housing and put a great deal of effort into regeneration plans, such that the city was nicknamed (at his suggestion) "The Brasilia of the North". He also pumped money into local arts institutions. Ironically, many residents of Newcastle felt his 'regeneration' plans 'to clear Newcastle of slum housing' in fact created a West End now dismissed as being an impoverished area. Smith's name is usually spoken in negative terms regarding the destruction of historic and aesthetically pleasing buildings which were replaced with a concrete jungle, although many of these developments – such as Eldon Square Shopping Centre and John Dobson's Royal Arcade – actually took place after he left office. While leading the redevelopment of his city, Smith formed business links with architect John Poulson which led to his trial for accepting bribes in April 1974, at which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He starred in a film of his life released in 1987. ==Early life== Smith was born in Wallsend, the son of a Durham miner. Both his parents were communists and Smith adopted left-wing opinions himself. He was unemployed during the 1930s but founded his own painting and decorating business in 1937 which was known for being somewhat economical (its local nickname was 'One-Coat Smith'). During World War II, Smith registered as a conscientious objector〔 and was initially active in opposing the war and organising strikes against it; he supported the war after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. During the war, Smith joined several left-wing organisations. He was a regional representative for the Independent Labour Party in 1943, and later joined the Revolutionary Communist Party where he led a shipyard strike. By 1945, he was a member of the Labour Party. In 1950 he was elected to Newcastle City Council as a Labour member, and became chairman of the Labour Group in 1953.〔 It was at this stage that he took to using his first initial in his name, after an embarrassing incident at Newcastle Airport when he was confused with another Dan Smith. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「T. Dan Smith」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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