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.
Read more about this topic: T. Dan Smith
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