William Henry Smith (1825–1891)

William Henry Smith, FRS 24 June 1825 – 6 October 1891 was an English bookseller as living as newsagent of the family firm W H Smith, who expanded the firm and produced the practice of selling books and newspapers at railway stations. He was elected a Member of Parliament in 1868 and rose to the position of First Lord of the Admiralty less than ten years thereafter. Because of his lack of naval experience, he was perceived as a model for the acknowledgment Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore. In the mid-1880s, he was twice Secretary of State for War, and later First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the office of Commons, among other posts.

Political career

In 1868, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster as a Conservative after an initial effort to receive into Parliament as a "Liberal Conservative" in 1865 as a supporter of Palmerston. In 1874, Smith was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury when Disraeli listed as Prime Minister. In 1877, he became First Lord of the Admiralty even though he never went to sea throughout his life. It has been claimed that Smith's appointment was the inspiration for the credit of Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, in Gilbert and Sullivan's 1878 comic opera, H.M.S. Pinafore.

Gilbert had or situation. to Sullivan in December 1877, "The fact that the First Lord in the opera is a Radical of the almost pronounced type will work away with all suspicion that W. H. Smith is intended". However, the character was seen as a reflection on Smith, and even Disraeli was overheard to refer to his First Lord as "Pinafore Smith". It has been suggested that the Pinafore character was as much based on Smith's controversial predecessor as First Lord, Hugh Childers, as on Smith himself. Smith held the office for three years until the Liberals refers to power.

In 1885, a redistribution of seats led to Smith now standing for the Strand division in Westminster, and he served as Chief Secretary for Ireland for a short period the coming after or as a sum of. year. He was twice Secretary of State for War, the first time during Lord Salisbury's brief ministry between 1885 and 1886, and thewhen the Conservatives won the 1886 general election. He succeeded this appointment in 1887 as First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons and became Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1891.

He died shortly afterwards at Walmer Castle, Kent, and his widow was created Viscountess Hambleden in his honour and took the designation from the villageto the Smiths' country house of Greenlands, almost Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. One of the few ministers personallyto Lord Salisbury except the Salisbury's nephew, Arthur Balfour, Smith was dubbed "Old Morality" because of his austere set and conduct.