Edwin Thomas Smith
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Sir Edwin Thomas Smith (6 April 1830 – 25 December 1919) was an English-born
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n brewer, businessman, councillor, mayor, politician and philanthropist.


Early years

Smith was born on 6 April 1830 at
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, the son of Edwin Smith. He was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School,
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, and on leaving school had business experience with an uncle. By age 20, Smith was taking part in local politics.


Emigration

In 1853 Smith emigrated to
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
aboard the ''California'' and began business as an importer of ironmongery at
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, initially collaborating with his cousin James Alexander Holden. On 25 June 1857 he married Florence Stock, daughter of Robert Stock of Clifton, England. They would have two surviving children before she died in 1862.


Brewer

In 1860 he went into partnership with Edward Logue's brewery on King William Street,
Kent Town Kent Town is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters local government area. History Kent Town was named for Benjamin Archer Kent (1808 – 25 November 1864), a medical practition ...
. When Logue died in 1865, Smith continued the business as
Kent Town Brewery Kent Town Brewery was a brewery in Kent Town, a suburb adjacent to the city of Adelaide on its eastern side, in South Australia. Its original name was Logue's Brewery, after its first proprietor. History The brewery was founded on King Wil ...
. In 1876 he moved the business to the south-eastern corner of Dequetteville Terrace and Rundle Street. In 1888 he amalgamated his business with that of William Knox Simms to form the
South Australian Brewing Company The South Australian Brewing Company, Limited was a brewery located in Thebarton, South Australia, Thebarton, an inner-west suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is a subsidiary of Lion (Australasian company), Lion, which in turn is owned by ...
.Alison Painter,
25 December 1897/1919 W.K. Simms and E.T. Smith
, Professional Historians Association (South Australia)
Alison Painte
26 September 1980 West End Brewery
Professional Historians Association (South Australia)
The malt towers of the old Kent Town Brewery have now been turned into luxury apartments overlooking the
Adelaide Park Lands The Adelaide Park Lands comprise the figure-eight configuration of land, spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton, which encloses and separates the City of Adelaide area (including both the Adelaide city centre and ...
and
Adelaide city centre Adelaide city centre () is the inner city locality of Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is known by locals simply as "the City" or "Town" to distinguish it from Greater Adelaide and from the City of Adelaide l ...
.


Local government

Smith was
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of the Town of Kensington and Norwood during the years 1867–70 and 1871–73, and was afterwards elected to the Adelaide City Council. He served three terms as Mayor of Adelaide: in 1879–82, 1886–87 and 1887–88. It was as a result of his advocacy that Adelaide had its first
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
ways, King William Street was extended, and the Torrens Lake was formed.


Member of the House of Assembly

Smith entered parliament in 1871 as member for East Torrens in the
South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...
, and except for a year while he was visiting England, continued to represent this constituency until he retired in 1893. Though an active member of parliament, he was not anxious for office, and only once was included in a government; he was Minister for Education in the Bray ministry from March to June 1884. He was, however, responsible for some useful legislation including a first offenders act, and he took a leading part in the promotion of the
Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition The Adelaide International Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was a celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837, held in Adelaide, South Australia in 1887. It was also ...
of 1887–88. For this and his other services to the colony, he was knighted () in 1888. In 1894, he gave the city a bronze statue of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
, which was placed in the geographic centre of Adelaide in the centre of Victoria Square.


Member of the Legislative Council

Smith was elected to the
South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the South Australian House of Assembly, H ...
as member for Southern Districts in 1894 and remained a member until 1902. During the whole of his parliamentary experience he never lost an election.


Other roles, retirement and death

Smith was the founding president of the Kensington and Norwood Institute, and largely responsible for the funding of its building in 1876, now the heritage-listed Norwood Library on The Parade in Norwood. He was a regular churchgoer and for many years a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
of Clayton Congregational Church, in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
. Smith retired from the active conduct of his business in 1888, and retired from parliament in 1902. In retirement he took a great interest in a large number of institutions, to which he gave both time and money. He was chairman of the national park commissioners, and a trustee of the
Savings Bank of South Australia The Savings Bank of South Australia was a bank founded in the colony of South Australia in 1848, based in Adelaide. In the early 20th century it established a presence in schools by setting up a special category of savings accounts for schoolch ...
. He was an active worker in the management of the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution; the Adelaide Hospital; the Old Colonists' Association; the Elder workmen's homes; Adelaide Botanic Garden; and
Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo is a zoo in Adelaide, Australia. It is the country's second oldest zoo (after Melbourne Zoo) opening in 1883, and is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands just north of the Adelaide cit ...
. Smith died of a cerebral haemorrhage on 25 December 1919 at his home, "The Acacias", in the eastern suburb of Marryatville.


Family

On 25 June 1857, Edwin Smith married Florence Stock (c. 1837 – 12 February 1862), daughter of Robert Stock of Clifton, England, and brother of William Frederick Stock (1847–1913). They had three children: *Horace Edwin Smith (1858–1858) *Florence Ida Smith (1859–1932), married George Henry Dean in 1882. * Sydney Talbot Smith BA LLB (1861– 3 October 1948), married Florence Oliver Chettle (died died 21 September 1935), in 1887, with whom he had four children. Sir Edwin married again, in 1869, to Elizabeth Spicer (died 6 June 1911). This union was childless.


Legacies


Sir Edwin and Lady Smith's Gifts, Walsall

In 1917, Sir Edwin endowed a gift fund in his native town of Walsall, England, to buy Christmas gifts for the needy elderly of the parish.


Norwood Football Club

When the
Norwood Football Club The Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Its home ground is Norwood Oval, Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which is often referred ...
decided in December 2005 to set up a "Hall of Fame", Smith was appointed one of the 10 non-playing inaugural members. "Sir Edwin Thomas Smith was patron of Norwood from the club’s first day in 1878 until his last, Christmas Day 1919". "More than any other individual, Sir Edwin ensured that the club built its early sporting life on solid foundations".Sir Edwin T. Smith KCMG
, Hall of Fame, Norwood Football Club.
He is known to have discovered a small 2 ounce of gold at Norwood oval in 1902. Edwin donated it to the football club, as well as his old pair of red socks. Ever since, Norwood has been known as the Redlegs.


Adelaide Oval

The Sir Edwin Smith Stand at the
Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...
was named in his honour in 1922. One of the roads leading up to the Oval is Sir Edwin Smith Way.


The Acacias

Smith bought the property on the corner of
Portrush Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart in County Londonderry. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station, railway stati ...
and Kensington Roads, known as The Acacias, in 1878 and made extensive additions and alterations to it. Upon his death in 1919, his home became Loreto Convent, then later Loreto College, Marryatville.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edwin Thomas 1830 births 1919 deaths Colony of South Australia people People from Walsall Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Members of the South Australian Legislative Council Australian brewers Mayors and lord mayors of Adelaide People educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School English emigrants to colonial Australia Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 19th-century Australian businesspeople