Sir Henry Babington Smith (29 January 1863 – 29 September 1923) was a senior British civil servant, who served in a wide range of posts overseas, mostly financial, before becoming a director of the Bank of England. He was related to the Babington family through his maternal grandmother Mary, a daughter of Thomas Babington, and his children took the double surname Babington Smith.

Early life and education

Smith was born at Riverbank, Putney, London on 29 February 1863, the son of the lawyer and mathematician Archibald Smith. His brothers were James Parker Smith, later an MP, and Arthur Hamilton Smith, later Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. He was a Cambridge Apostle.

Career

In 1887 he joined the Board of Education as an examiner, but in 1891 became principal private secretary to the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Goschen. In 1894 he became private secretary to Lord Elgin on his appointment as Viceroy of India. This relationship was cemented when he married the Viceroy's eldest daughter, Lady Elisabeth Mary Bruce (1877–1944), on 22 September 1898 in Simla. For his work in India, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI) in 1897. He returned to Britain in 1899 and was immediately sent to Natal as Treasury representative in the South African War. In 1900 he became British representative on the Council of Administration of the Ottoman Public Debt, in the nominally Ottoman Egypt, becoming its chairman in 1901. In the same year, he was awarded the Osmanieh Order, Class 1. In 1903 he returned home to become secretary to the General Post Office, and was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1905 and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1908. In 1909, he went to Constantinople as president of the National Bank of Turkey, which he was instrumental in establishing. He turned down the post of Governor of Bombay, one of the most prestigious posts in the administration of India, because it was usually accompanied by a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

. Smith explained to his children: " man is wise who burdens a large family with such trappings. I did without them and so can you." The

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

saw him holding a variety of posts connected with finance, including deputy governor of the British Trade Corporation. In 1915 he participated in the Anglo-French Financial Commission to the United States. He was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1917. In 1918 he accompanied Lord Reading to the United States as Assistant Commissioner and Minister Plenipotentiary. After the war, he chaired the Indian Finance and Currency Committee in 1919 and the Railway Amalgamation Tribunal in 1921. He was appointed a director of the Bank of England in 1920. Smith was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours for his services in the United States.

Family

Babington Smith married Lady Elizabeth Bruce (1877–1944), the eldest daughter of Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, the Viceroy of India. They had four sons and five daughters: * Michael Babington Smith (1901–1984): Brigadier, CBE, TD * Henry Babington Smith (1902–1982) * Bernard Babington Smith (1905–1993): OBE * Margaret Babington Smith 1907–1997), married Charles de Bunsen * David Babington Smith (1909–1989) * Lucy Babington Smith (1910–2005), married Henry Sinclair, 2nd Baron Pentland * Constance Babington Smith (1912–2000): MBE, Legion of Merit * Susan Babington Smith (1917–2003), married Sir Anthony Wakefield Cox * Elizabeth Babington Smith (1921–2008): MD, FFARCS, married to Reece Lloyd-Jones The family home was Chinthurst, in Wonersh, and later Vineyards, in Saffron Waldren.

Ancestry

Footnotes

References

* Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 1 October 1923 * "Here be Forebears – The Ancestry of Archibald Smith II of Jordanhill", H.E. Babington Smith, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Babington Smith, Henry 1863 births 1923 deaths People from Jordanhill People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Secretaries of the General Post Office Civil servants in the Department of Education (United Kingdom) Civil servants in HM Treasury Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Star of India Private secretaries in the British Civil Service Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Henry People associated with the Bank of England British people in colonial India Teachers at Winchester College