William Henry Smith (politician)

William Henry Smith (politician)


A Long Distance Swim
"W.H. Smith: "Hooray - another stroke or two and we've done it."
Cartoon satirising Smith as rowing and Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister, swimming towards the end of the Parliamentary year to escape the twin waves of Free Education and Land Purchase, contentious issues of the time. Smith died three months after publication of the cartoon.
From Punch, 1891
William Henry Smith (24 June 1825 – 6 October 1891) was an English bookseller and newsagent of the family firm W H Smith, who expanded the firm and introduced the practice of selling books and newspapers at railway stations.

He was elected a Member of Parliament in 1868 and rose to the position of First Lord of the Admiralty less than ten years thereafter. Because of his lack of military experience, he was perceived as a model for the character Sir Joseph Porter in "H.M.S. Pinafore". In the mid-1880s, he was twice Secretary of State for War, and later First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons, among other posts.

Biography

Smith was born in London, the son of William Henry Smith (1792-1865). He was educated at Tavistock Grammar School before joining the business with his father in 1846. As a result of his involvement, the business became a household name (W H Smith), and the practice of selling books and newspapers at railway stations began.

In 1868, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster as a Conservative, and was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury six years later when Disraeli returned as Prime Minister. In 1877 he became First Lord of the Admiralty. The appointment of a man with no naval or military experience to govern the Royal Navy was satirised by Gilbert and Sullivan in the character of Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, in their 1878 comic opera, "H.M.S. Pinafore"). W. S. Gilbert's "Pinafore" lyrics are scathing:

:"I grew so rich that I was sent":"By a pocket borough into Parliament.":"I always voted at my party's call,":"And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.":"I thought so little, they rewarded me":"By making me the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!"

Smith would be known by the derisive nickname "Pinafore Smith" during his three years in the post of First Lord. Smith held this office for three years until the Liberals returned to power.

In 1885 a redistribution of seats led to Smith now standing for the Strand division in Westminster, and served as Chief Secretary for Ireland for a short period in the following year. He was twice Secretary of State for War, the first time during Lord Salisbury's brief ministry between 1885 and 1886, and the second when the Conservatives won the 1886 General Election. He succeeded this appointment in 1887 as First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons, and became Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1891, dying shortly afterwards at Walmer Castle. His widow was created Viscountess Hambleden, taking the title from the village close to the Smiths' country house of Greenlands, near Henley-on-Thames. One of the few ministers personally close to Lord Salisbury (apart from the latter's nephew Arthur Balfour), Smith was dubbed "Old Morality" due to his austere manner and conduct.

He was described by Henry Stratford Caldecott in an 1895 Johannesburg lecture as " [t] he "doyen"... of living English critics" in the dilation of the Baconian theory. It was Smith's famous letter to Lord Ellesmere in 1857 which, after its subsequent publication as a small volume entitled "Bacon and Shakespere " [sic] ": An Inquiry Touching Players, Play-Houses, and Play-writers in the Days of Elizabeth", that gave the field its impetus. [Caldecott: "Our English Homer", p. 6.]

References

*Caldecott, Harry Stratford: "Our English Homer; or, the Bacon-Shakespeare Controversy" (Johannesburg Times P. & P. Works, 1895).

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Henry Smith (businessman) — William Henry Smith (July 7, 1792 ndash; July 28, 1865), was an entrepreneur whose business was about both newsagents and book shops. He ran his business in London, where he was born and died. After finding success with his family business mdash; …   Wikipedia

  • William Henry Smith — is the name of at least three famous people:*William Henry Smyth (astronomer) (1788 1865) *William Henry Smith (businessman) (1792 1865) *William Henry Smith (politician) (1825 1891), the son of the businessman;See also*William Smith… …   Wikipedia

  • William H. Avery (politician) — Infobox Governor name= William H. Avery caption= order= 37th office= Governor of Kansas term start= January 11, 1965 term end= January 9, 1967 lieutenant= John Crutcher predecessor= John Anderson, Jr. successor= Robert Docking birth date= birth… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Smith — may be:*Henry A. Smith (1830 ndash;1915), American physician and poet, early settler of Seattle *Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900 ndash;1993), British Army officer and Governor of Queensland. *Sir Henry Babington Smith (1863 ndash;1923),… …   Wikipedia

  • William Laird Smith — William Henry Laird Smith (15 September 1869 ndash; 21 October 1942), Australian politician and Minister for the Navy.Smith was born in Westbury, Tasmania and educated in state schools in Victoria and Tasmania. He became an electrician in… …   Wikipedia

  • William Henry Ashley — (1778, Powhatan County, Va ndash; March 26, 1838, Boonville, Mo) was a pioneering fur trader, entrepreneur, and politician. Though a native of Virginia, Ashley had already moved to St. Genevieve in what was then called Louisiana, when it was… …   Wikipedia

  • William Henry Ashley — (Powhatan, Virginia, 1778 condado de Cooper, Misuri, 26 de marzo de 1838) fue un comerciante de pieles pionero, empresario y político estadounidense. Contenido 1 BIografía 2 Comercio de pieles …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Henry Ashley — (1785– 26 mars 1839) était un commerçant en fourrures, entrepreneur, et politicien américain. Natif de Virginie, Ashley vivait déjà à Sainte Geneviève dans ce qui était alors la Louisiane quand cette dernière fut achetée à la France par les États …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William D. Coleman (politician) — William D. Coleman 13th President of Liberia In office November 12, 1896 – December 11, 1900 Vice President Joseph J. Ross Preceded by …   Wikipedia

  • William Henry Harrison — For other people named William Harrison, see William Harrison (disambiguation). William Henry Harrison Harrison in a copy of an 1841 daguerreotype portrait by Moore and Ward the first photograph ever taken of a U.S. President …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”