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SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1825—1891)

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 271 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SMITH, See also:WILLIAM See also:HENRY (1825—1891) , See also:English See also:man of business and statesman, was See also:born in See also:London on the 24th of See also:June 1825. His See also:father was the founder of the See also:great distributing See also:firm of W. H. Smith & Son, in the Strand, and at an See also:early See also:age he became a partner and devoted himself to the business. He betrayed no See also:political aspirations until 1865, when he came for-See also:ward as a Conservative to contest See also:Westminster against See also:John See also:Stuart See also:Mill and the Hon. Mr Grosvenor. Defeated on that occasion, he triumphed in '868, winning a victory when his party was in See also:general vanquished on all sides. The See also:prestige thus obtained combined with See also:wealth and his business abilities to recommend him to Disraeli, who in 1874 made him secretary to the See also:Treasury. In '877 he gained See also:cabinet See also:rank as first See also:lord of the See also:Admiralty; in '885 he was successively secretary for See also:War and See also:chief secretary for See also:Ireland; in 1886 he was again at the War See also:Office; and when See also:late in that See also:year Lord See also:Randolph See also:Churchill's resignation necessitated a reconstruction of the See also:ministry, Mr Smith found himself first lord of the Treasury and See also:leader of the See also:House of See also:Commons. He was no orator, and made no pretence to See also:genius, but his success in these high offices was See also:complete, and was admittedly due, not merely to business ability, but to the universal respect which was gained by his See also:patience, See also:good See also:temper, zeal for the public service, and thorough kindness of See also:heart. He died at See also:Walmer See also:Castle (which he occupied as See also:Warden of the Cinque Ports) on the 6th of See also:October 1891. In recognition of his services a See also:peerage in her own right was conferred on his widow, with the See also:title of Viscountess Hambleden.

See also:

Lady Hambleden (b. '828) had been a See also:Miss See also:Danvers, and before marrying Mr Smith had been the wife of Mr B. A. Leach, by whom she had a See also:family. Her eldest son by the second See also:marriage, the Hon. W. F. D. Smith (b. 1868), rowed in the See also:Oxford See also:boat, and on his father's See also:death became See also:head of the business; in 1891 he was elected Conservative M.P. for the Strand (London), and was re-elected in '892, 2895, 1900 and 'go6. He married in 1894 Lady See also:Esther See also:Gore, daughter of the See also:earl of See also:Arran.

End of Article: SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1825—1891)

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SMITH, WILLIAM ROBERTSON (1846-'894)