Henry Smith (Canadian politician)

Sir Henry Smith (April 23, 1812 – September 18, 1868) was a Canadian lawyer and political figure. He represented Frontenac County in the Parliament of the Province of Canada, and later in the 1st Parliament of Ontario.

Sir Henry Smith
Ontario MPP
In office
1867–1868
Preceded byNew position
Succeeded byDelino Dexter Calvin
ConstituencyFrontenac
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Frontenac
In office
1841–1861
Preceded byNew position
Solicitor General, Canada West
In office
1854–1858
Preceded byJoseph Curran Morrison
Succeeded byGeorge Skeffington Connor
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
In office
1858–1861
Preceded byLouis-Victor Sicotte
Succeeded byJoseph-Édouard Turcotte
Personal details
Born(1812-04-23)April 23, 1812
London, England
DiedSeptember 18, 1868(1868-09-18) (aged 56)
Kingston, Ontario
Political partyConservative
SpouseMary Talbot
Children8
OccupationLawyer

He was born in London, England in 1812 and came to Montreal with his family some time before 1818. The family later moved to Kingston in Upper Canada. Smith's father, also named Henry Smith, served as the first warden of the provincial penitentiary at Kingston from 1835 to 1849. The son studied law with Christopher Alexander Hagerman and was called to the bar in 1834. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1841 for Frontenac, serving until 1861. He was a friend of Sir John A. Macdonald and also supported him politically for much of that time.

In 1846, Smith was named Queen's Counsel. In 1854, he was named Solicitor General for Canada West in the Macnab-Morin government. He served as speaker of the house from 1858 to 1861. Smith also served as lawyer for the Grand Trunk Railway in Kingston. Smith fell out with Macdonald over his attempts to gain a knighthood. However, in 1860, he was knighted by the Prince of Wales at Quebec City during the Prince's visit to Canada. Switching to the Reformers, he was defeated in subsequent elections in 1861 and 1863.

In 1867, he was elected to the Legislature of the new province of Ontario, again as a Conservative, but died in Kingston in 1868.

Electoral record

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1867 Ontario general election: Frontenac
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Henry Smith 1,186 62.49
Liberal John Fraser 710 37.41
Independent B.M. Britton 2 0.11
Total valid votes 1,898 73.91
Eligible voters 2,568
Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[1]
1867 Canadian federal election: Addington
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative James Lapum 1,120 52.98
Liberal–Conservative Schuyler Shibley 991 46.88
Unknown Henry Smith 2 0.09
Unknown Mr. Price 1 0.05
Unknown D. Cameron 0 0.00
Unknown Mr. Ham 0 0.00
Unknown Mr. Lott 0 0.00
Total valid votes 2,114 76.37
Eligible voters 2,768
Source: 1867 Return of the Elections to House of Commons[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Langevin, Edouard J. (1868), Return of the Elections to House of Commons, Ottawa: Hunter, Rose & Company
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