Jeff Smith (born December 9, 1973) is an American politician who served as a member of the Missouri Senate, representing the 4th district from 2007 until 2009.

Prior to his political career, Smith co-founded Confluence Academies, a group of urban charter schools in St. Louis that now enroll nearly 4,000 students.

He also authored a successful[2] and critically acclaimed[3][4] book chronicling the injustices faced by those incarcerated, Mr. Smith Goes to Prison.

Smith was raised in the St. Louis suburb of Olivette, Missouri and graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School.

[citation needed] He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in African-American Studies and political science.

[7] In 2001, Smith co-founded the Confluence Academy, a charter school in North St. Louis focusing on math and science education.

[6] In 2004, Smith was a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives to replace retiring Congressman Dick Gephardt.

[10] In the primary approach to the 2004 congressional election, a representative, unknown at the time to be working for a group called Voters for Truth, approached members of Smith's campaign staff, offering to create and send out campaign mail regarding opponent Russ Carnahan's inconsistent voting record.

In September 2004, Smith submitted an affidavit to the Federal Election Commission relating to an accused conspiracy with the group Voters for Truth, occurring in the summer of 2004.

In January 2009, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, acting upon newly discovered information, opened a criminal investigation to determine whether anyone had attempted to obstruct the Federal Election Commission proceeding.

[15][16] A year after his unsuccessful congressional campaign, Smith announced his intention to seek the Missouri Senate seat being vacated by Pat Dougherty.