Former San Francisco DA Arlo Smith dies at 98

Former San Francisco District Attorney Arlo Smith, who was the city top prosecutor from 1980 to 1996, died Thursday, according to several officials. He was 98.

Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Matt Dorsey expressed their sadness of the news of Smith’s death. Along with his tenure as San Francisco district attorney, Smith was also a Democratic candidate for California attorney general in 1990, but lost to Dan Lungren. 

Born in Mankato, Minn., in 1927 and raised in San Bernardino, Smith received a bachelor’s degree and law degree from UC Berkeley and spent 26 years as a state prosecutor before being elected DA in 1979, according to a biography quoted by Dorsey. He is well known for his work around LGBTQ issues.

Smith’s wife, Helen Hale Smith, was a former schoolteacher who devoted her life to his campaigns. She died in 1997 at age 69.  

“Arlo Smith served our city, state and country with honor and distinction,” Lurie said in a social media post. “He wasn’t born here — but he adopted the city and embraced it wholeheartedly. And throughout his life, he was dedicated to civic life in our city. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Dorsey, who worked with Smith, called him an “influential mentor … for his commitment to doing justice, protecting public safety and uplifting the marginalized.”

Smith is survived by his children, Arlo, Averell and Alexa; grandchildren, Mina Sohaa and Abram Hale; and great-grandchildren, Tadhg Hale and Nora Lili. He was predeceased by his son Adlai Smith and granddaughter Lili Rachel Smith.

Memorial services are pending.