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J. Smith Lanier II dies at age 85

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J. Smith Lanier II dies at age 85

J. Smith Lanier II, chairman emeritus and former CEO of the West Point, Ga.-based insurance brokerage J. Smith Lanier & Co., died Thursday at East Alabama Medical Center. He was 85.

Born in Egan, Ga., Mr. Lanier began his career in insurance in 1950 with the Lanier Insurance Agency, owned at the time by one of his aunts, Edith Lanier. Mr. Lanier purchased the company in the early 1970s and incorporated it under the name J. Smith Lanier & Co. in 1983. The company rose to national prominence under Mr. Lanier's direction as its CEO and chairman, and today is 24th-largest insurance broker of U.S. business, according to Business Insurance's 2013 rankings.

Additionally, Mr. Lanier was a founding director of several publicly traded companies, including Async Inc., Interface Inc., Valley Realty Co. Inc. and Powertel Inc., which was acquired in 2001 by Deutsche Telekom A.G., the parent company of T-Mobile International A.G. Mr. Lanier was named the National Small Business Person of the Year in 1998 — his final year as CEO of J. Smith Lanier & Co. — by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Mr. Lanier's career was briefly interrupted by his service in the Korean War, during which he was a naval engineering officer aboard the U.S.S. Ault.

Apart from his successes in the insurance industry, Mr. Lanier was an active advocate for public and private education, serving on the boards of trustees for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, LaGrange College, Oglethorpe University, and Point University.

Mr. Lanier is survived by Elizabeth Walker, his wife of 56 years, and daughters Mary Ellen (Anthony) Collins, Elizabeth Lester and Edith Carroll (Joseph) Hodges, as well as eight grandchildren. He also is survived by his sisters, Mary Champion and Sally Davenport.

A memorial service will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Spring Road Christian Church in Lanett, Ala. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Spring Road Christian Church, Point University, the Springwood School in Lanett, or the Boy Scouts of America.