George John Smith

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George John Smith (1862 - 1946) CBE was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Christchurch City, in the South Island.

[edit] Member of Parliament

George Smith represented the Christchurch City electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1893 to 1899 and again between 1901 and 1902 (Wilson, p.235. Smith was re-elected at a by-election in 1901). He was awarded a CBE in 1918.

[edit] Independent

Smith was an Independent MP for his entire parliamentary career (Hamer, p.361).

Born in County Durham and educated at Newcastle, George Smith came to New Zealand in 1879. He was a lawyer and businessman in Christchurch. A strong prohibitionist, Smith was a member of the Sydenham Licensing Committee which was determined to refuse all licenses in the borough. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1907 (Wilson, p.164).

[edit] Further reading

• The New Zealand Liberals: the Years of Power 1891-1912 by David Hamer (1988, Auckland University Press, Auckland)
• The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840-1984 by J.O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)