DETROIT – Former lawmaker and judicial pioneer Virgil Clark Smith has passed away after a long illness.
The family of Virgil Clark Smith announced that he passed peacefully on Monday (June 23) morning at the age of 80.
Smith was admitted to the hospital on April 7, 2025, and fought throughout his hospital stay.
His family said that he had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which he had been dealing with for numerous years.
His COPD led to kidney failure and other health issues, which led to his untimely passing.
Smith served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1977 to 1988 and the Michigan Senate from 1988 to 2000.
He was the consummate legislator, with numerous public acts to his name.
Smith was most proud of the court reorganization legislation of the 1980s, and also played a significant role in the reorganization of Detroit schools, which took place in 1999.
He was the first African American minority floor leader in the history of the Michigan Senate.
Smith’s dream was to become a U.S. Senator, and he ran for prosecutor in 2000, in which he lost to Mike Duggan.
Then, Prosecutor Duggan appointed Smith to the Chief of Staff position in the Prosecutor’s office.
In 2004, Smith was appointed by Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to Michigan’s 3rd Circuit Court, located in Wayne County.
Smith served 14 years as a Wayne County Circuit Court judge, including several years as chief judge.
He was the first and only African American Chief Judge of Michigan’s 3rd Circuit Court, one of the largest circuit courts in the nation.
Smith loved to ride his motor scooter and kayak in the Detroit River. Details of his celebration of life have yet to be announced.
