William Henry Smith (1825–1891)

William Henry Smith PC (24 June 1825 – 6 October 1891) was an English bookseller and newsagent of the family firm W H Smith, who expanded the firm and introduced 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 character 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 House of Commons, among other posts.

Background and business career

Smith was born in London, the son of William Henry Smith (1792-1865). He was educated at Tavistock Grammar School before joining the business with his father in 1846. As a result of his involvement, the business became a household name (W H Smith), and the practice of selling books and newspapers at railway stations began.

He was elected in February 1878 a Fellow of the Royal Society.^[1]

Political career

In 1868, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster as a Conservative after an initial attempt to get 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 returned as Prime Minister. In 1877 he became First Lord of the Admiralty. It has been claimed that Smith's appointment was the inspiration for the character of Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, in Gilbert and Sullivan's 1878 comic opera, H. M. S. Pinafore). Gilbert had written to Sullivan in December, 1877, "The fact that the First Lord in the opera is a Radical of the most pronounced type will do away with any 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".^[2] 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.^[3] Smith held this office for three years until the Liberals returned 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 in the following year. He was twice Secretary of State for War, the first time during Lord Salisbury's brief ministry between 1885 and 1886, and the second when 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, dying shortly afterwards at Walmer Castle. His widow was created Viscountess Hambleden, taking the title from the village close to the Smiths' country house of Greenlands, near Henley-on-Thames. One of the few ministers personally close to Lord Salisbury (apart from the latter's nephew, Arthur Balfour), Smith was dubbed "Old Morality" due to his austere manner and conduct.

Baconian theory

Smith was the first person to publish the claim that Francis Bacon was the author of Shakespeare's plays, founding Baconian theory. Smith wrote a letter outlining his argument to Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere in 1857 which was circulated in manuscript. It was subsequently published as a small volume entitled Bacon and Shakespere: An Inquiry Touching Players, Play-Houses, and Play-writers in the Days of Elizabeth. Smith's publication followed an earlier essay by Delia Bacon, which claimed that Shakespeare had not written the plays, though she had not named an alternative author. Her full length book, also claiming that Francis Bacon played the dominant role, was published shortly afterwards. Nathaniel Hawthorne, who had earlier helped Delia Bacon, asked Smith to acknowledge her priority, though Smith claimed that he knew nothing of the earlier essay and had held his views for nearly twenty years. Smith's writing gave impetus to the propagation of the theory.^[4]

Family

Smith married Emily, daughter of Frederick Dawes Danvers, in 1858. They had two sons and four daughters (of whom one son died as an infant). He died in October 1891, aged 66. The following month his widow was raised to the peerage in his honour as Viscountess Hambleden, of Hambleden in the County of Buckingham. She died in August 1913 and was succeeded by her and Smith's only surviving son, Frederick.

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