Irene Smart

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name=Irene Smart

| image name=

| state_house=Ohio

| state=Ohio

| district=49th

| term=January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1978

| preceded=Ross Heintzelman

| succeeded=Robert Regula

| party=Democrat

| birth_date={{birth date|1921|3|24}}

| birth_place=Cleveland, Ohio{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVQfAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Smart%2C+Irene+Balogh%27%22+|title = Who's who in Government|date = November 1977|isbn = 9780837912035}}

|death_date = {{death date and age|2017|05|03|1921|03|24}}

|death_place = Ohio, U.S.

|}}

Irene Balogh Smart (March 24, 1921 – May 3, 2017) was an Ohio Democratic Party politician and a former member of the Ohio General Assembly.{{cite web|title=Judge Irene Balogh Smart|url=http://www.timesleaderonline.com/obituaries/2017/05/irene-smart/|publisher=The Times Leader|accessdate=27 May 2017}} Smart was a graduate of Wittenberg University, Harvard University, and the William McKinley School of Law. An attorney by trade, Smart first ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 1972, and defeated Republican incumbent Ross Heintzelman in a narrow victory.{{cite web|first=Robert E |last=Miller |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M71QAAAAIBAJ&pg=4834,909786&dq=irene+smart+ohio&hl=en |title=Dems gain control of Ohio House |work=The Portsmouth Times |pages=13 |date=1972-11-08 |accessdate=2011-08-17}} She won reelection in 1974,{{cite web|first=Rita |last=Shade |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=evhDAAAAIBAJ&pg=884,2602726&dq=irene+smart+ohio&hl=en |title=Democrats take control of General Assembly |work=The Daily Sentinel |pages=11 |date=1974-11-06 |accessdate=2011-08-17}} and 1976.

In 1977, Smart ran for Canton City Municipal Judge, and won. She took the bench in 1978, resigning her House seat to do so, and was succeeded by Robert Regula.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vQtPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5045,2477774&dq=irene+smart+ohio&hl=en |title=House Votes To Seat Regula To Succeed Smart |work=Toledo Blade |date=1978-01-03 |pages=3 |accessdate=2011-08-17}} She served on the municipal court until 1985, when she moved up to the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. In 1988, Smart again moved up, this time to the Ohio 5th District Court of Appeals.{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB62986EEB3C90D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Applicants for Stark Judgeship |work=Akron Beacon Journal (OH) |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |pages=C3 METRO |date=1988-12-13 |accessdate=2011-08-17}} {{Subscription required|date=August 2011}} In 1994, Smart was unable to seek another term since she had hit the 70-year age limit, and retired at the end of her term.{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB62FF66CCBCABE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Activist challenges Healy in '94 after Canton Council loss, Burton v. Jones seeks State representative post |work=Akron Beacon Journal (OH) |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |pages=C1 METRO |date=1993-12-31 |accessdate=2011-08-17}}