William Henry Smith, FRS (24 June 1825 – 6 October 1891) was an English bookseller, newsagent and politician. As head of the family firm W H Smith, he 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 later. Because of his lack of naval experience, he was perceived as a model for the character Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore (and consequently nicknamed Pinafore Smith). 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.

Background and business career

The son of entrepreneur William Henry Smith, Smith was born in London. He was educated at Tavistock Grammar School before joining his father's newsagent and book business in 1846, at which time the firm became W H Smith & Son. The two men took advantage of the railway boom by opening news-stands on railway stations, starting with Euston in 1848.

In February 1878, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Political career

In 1868, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster as a Conservative after an initial attempt to get into Parliament as a "Liberal-Conservative" in 1865 as a supporter of Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. In 1874, Smith was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury when Disraeli returned as Prime Minister. In 1877, he became First Lord of the Admiralty even though he never went to sea throughout his life. It has been claimed that Smith's appointment was the inspiration for the character of Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, in Gilbert and Sullivan's 1878 comic opera, H.M.S. Pinafore.

Gilbert had written to Sullivan in December 1877, "The fact that the First Lord in the opera is a Radical of the most pronounced type will do away with any suspicion that W. H. Smith is intended". However, the character was seen as a reflection on Smith, and even Disraeli was overheard to refer to his First Lord as "Pinafore Smith". It has been suggested that the Pinafore character was as much based on Smith's controversial predecessor as First Lord, Hugh Childers, as on Smith himself. Smith held the office for three years until the Liberal Party returned to power.

In 1885, a redistribution of seats led to Smith now standing for the Strand division in Westminster, and he served as Chief Secretary for Ireland for a short period in the following year. He served twice as Secretary of State for War: for the first time in Lord Salisbury's brief 1885–86 ministry, and for the second when the Conservatives won the 1886 general election. Following this appointment, he succeeded 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.

He died shortly afterwards at Walmer Castle, Kent, and his widow was created Viscountess Hambleden in his honour and took the title from the village close to the Smiths' country house of Greenlands, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. One of the few ministers personally close to Lord Salisbury (apart from the Salisbury's nephew, Arthur Balfour), Smith was dubbed "Old Morality" because of his austere manner and conduct.

Family

Smith married Emily, daughter of Frederick Dawes Danvers, in 1858. They had two sons and four daughters:

  • Mabel Danvers Smith (d. 1956; she married the 5th Earl of Harrowby)
  • Emily Anna Smith (1859–1942; she married Admiral William Acland)
  • Helen Smith (1860–1944)
  • Beatrice Danvers Smith (1864–1942)
  • Henry Walton Smith (1865–1866)
  • William Frederick Danvers Smith (1868–1928)

He died in October 1891, aged 66. The following month, his widow was raised to the peerage in his honour as Viscountess Hambleden, of Hambleden in the County of Buckingham. She died in August 1913 and was succeeded by her and Smith's only surviving son, Frederick.

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Image:Our New First Lord at Sea.png|Pinafore did not begin the mockery of Smith: This Punch cartoon is from 13 October 1877, months before the première of Pinafore.

Image:William Henry Smith (politician) and Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury - Cartoon from Punch - 1891 - Project Gutenberg eText 14808.png|A Long Distance Swim, W. H. Smith: "Hooray – another stroke or two and we've done it."

File:Emily, 1st Vicountess Hambleden, and her daughter, by Richard Buckner.jpg|Emily, 1st Viscountess Hambleden, and her daughter (Richard Buckner)

File:Memorial to a distinguished man within St Mary's, Portsea - geograph.org.uk - 1379034.jpg|Memorial in St Mary's Portsea

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Endnotes

Bibliography

Further reading

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