George John Smith

{{Short description|New Zealand politician}} {{For|the Scottish Roman Catholic clergyman|George John Smith (bishop)}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = George John Smith | honorific_suffix = CBE | image = George John Smith.jpg | alt = | caption = George John Smith | constituency_MP = City of Christchurch | parliament =  | majority =  | term_start = 1893 | term_end = 1899 | predecessor = Ebenezer Sandford | successor = Harry Ell | term_start2 = 1901 | term_end2 = 1902 | predecessor2 = Charles Lewis | successor2 = Thomas Davey | birth_date = 1862 | birth_place = Consett | death_date = 1946 | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | party = Independent | other_party = | spouse = married 1887 to the only daughter of the late Mr. R. Dawsson | partner =  | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = }} Colonel '''George John Smith''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CBE|size=85%}} (1862–1946) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the City of Christchurch electorate in the South Island, and later a member of the Legislative Council.

==Early life==

Smith was born in Consett in County Durham and educated at the Wesleyan Church School in Newcastle upon Tyne. Following that, he worked at the office of the Government solicitors.<ref name="Cyclopedia">{{cite web|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d5-d4.html#name-420401-mention|title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]|year=1903|publisher=The Cyclopedia Company, Limited|access-date=14 February 2010|location=Christchurch}}</ref>

He came to New Zealand in 1879. He was a lawyer and businessman in Christchurch. He was a councillor on the Sydenham Borough Council. A strong prohibitionist, Smith was elected to the Sydenham Licensing Committee in 1891, which was determined to refuse all licences in the borough. Several members including Smith were removed from this position by order of the Supreme Court for "incurable bias".<ref name="Cyclopedia" />

==Member of Parliament== {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=left}} {{NZ parlbox |electorate=Christchurch |party=Independent politician |start=1893 |end=1896 |term=12th}} {{NZ parlbox |electorate=Christchurch |party=Independent politician |start=1896 |end=1899 |term=13th}} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |electorate=Christchurch |party=Independent Liberal |start=1901 |end=1902 |term=14th}} {{End}} Smith then stood for parliament. In the 1893 election, he came second in the three-member City of Christchurch electorate, and thus entered the House of Representatives. He was re-elected in 1896 (coming second in the electorate), but defeated in 1899. He was returned to parliament again at the 1901 City of Christchurch by-election triggered by the resignation of Charles Lewis.<ref name="Cyclopedia" />{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=235}} Smith was an Independent MP for his entire parliamentary career.{{sfn|Hamer|1988|page=361}}

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1918 New Year Honours.

==Legislative Council==

Smith was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1907, and was a member from 1907 to 1914 and 1920 to 1932.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=164}}

==Other activities== thumb|left|Riverlaw in Christchurch Smith purchased Riverlaw from Hugh Murray-Aynsley in 1905, a substantial property and homestead on the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River at the bottom of Rāpaki Track. He enlarged the house and added a third storey. After his death, Riverlaw was for many years used by the YWCA.{{sfn|Ogilvie|2009|pp=168f}} On 6 September 1984, the house was registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed to Heritage New Zealand) as a Category II heritage place, with registration number 3728;<ref>{{cite web |title=Register Record for Riverlaw, 81 Aynsley Terrace, Christchurch |url= https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/part/111835 |access-date=18 April 2014 |publisher=Ceismic |location=Christchurch}}</ref> Riverlaw was regarded as one of the finest colonial homes in Christchurch.{{sfn|Ogilvie|2009|p=169}} It was significantly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and demolished soon after.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lost heritage Christchurch City A-C |url= https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-register/lost-heritage/canterbury-earthquakes/christchurch-city-a-to-c |publisher=New Zealand Historic Places Trust |access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref>

Smith was for many years a member of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College (1903–1907, 1913–1917, 1920–1946).{{sfn|Gardner et al|1973|p=453}} He was Chairmen of the Board of Governors from 1928 to 1932.{{sfn|Gardner et al|1973|p=451}}

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19350506.2.12 | title=Official jubilee medals | date=6 May 1935 | volume=CXIX | issue=105 | newspaper=Evening Post | access-date=6 September 2015 | page=4}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist|30em}}

==References== {{Commons category|George John Smith}} *{{Cite book |ref = {{sfnRef|Gardner et al|1973}} |last1 = Gardner |first1 = W. J. |last2 = Beardsley |first2 = E. T. |last3 = Carter |first3 = T. E. |editor-first = Neville Crompton |editor-last = Phillips |title = A History of the University of Canterbury, 1873–1973 |year = 1973 |publisher = University of Canterbury |location = Christchurch }} *{{Cite book |last=Hamer |first=David A. |author-link=D. A. Hamer |title=The New Zealand Liberals: The Years of Power, 1891–1912 |year=1988 |place=Auckland |publisher=Auckland University Press |isbn=1-86940-014-3 |oclc=18420103 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newzealandlibera0000hame }} *{{Cite book | edition =2nd | publisher = Phillips & King Publishers | isbn = 978-0-9583315-6-2 | last = Ogilvie | first = Gordon | authorlink = Gordon Ogilvie | title = The Port Hills of Christchurch | location = Christchurch | year = 2009}} *{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = Ebenezer Sandford, William Pember Reeves, Richard Molesworth Taylor}} {{s-ttl | rows = 2 | title= Member of Parliament for Christchurch | alongside = William Pember Reeves (1893–1896), William Whitehouse Collins (1893–1896 and 1901–1902), Charles Lewis and Tommy Taylor (1896–1899), Harry Ell (1901–1902) | years = 1893–1899<br />1901–1902}} {{s-aft | after = Harry Ell, Charles Lewis, William Whitehouse Collins}} {{s-bef | before = Harry Ell, Charles Lewis, William Whitehouse Collins}} {{s-aft | after = Harry Ell, Thomas Davey, Tommy Taylor}} |- {{s-aca}} {{s-bef | before = Henry Acland}} {{s-ttl | title = chairman of the board of Governors of Canterbury College|years=1928–1932}} {{s-aft | after = Christopher Thomas Aschman}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, George John}} Category:1862 births Category:1946 deaths Category:New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Independent MPs of New Zealand Category:New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Category:Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Category:Local politicians in New Zealand Category:New Zealand businesspeople Category:19th-century New Zealand lawyers Category:New Zealand temperance activists Category:English emigrants to New Zealand Category:Chancellors of the University of Canterbury Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Category:People from Consett Category:19th-century New Zealand politicians