Edward Metcalf Smith

Edward Metcalf Smith
Edward Metcalf Smith in ca 1900
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Plymouth
In office 1890 – 1896
Preceded by	Oliver Samuel
Succeeded by	In abeyance until 1928
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Taranaki
In office 1899 – 1907
Preceded by	Henry Brown
Succeeded by	Henry Okey
Personal details
Born	(1839-01-10)10 January 1839 Bradley, Staffordshire, England
Died	19 April 1907(1907-04-19) (aged 68) New Plymouth, New Zealand
Political party	Liberal Party
Relations	Sydney George Smith (son)

Edward Metcalf Smith (10 January 1839 – 19 April 1907) was an armourer and Liberal Party politician in New Zealand, and an advocate of the development of Taranaki's ironsand and oil.

Early life

Mary Ann Golding, Smith's wife

Smith was born on 10 January 1839, in Bradley, Staffordshire, England. His father Charles Smith was a sculptor, and his mother was Maria Joiner. He worked as an ironmonger and became an apprentice at the Royal Small Arms Factory, from where he transferred to the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. When he qualified, he was assigned as garrison armourer to the New Zealand field forces. He arrived in Auckland, New Zealand in 1861 on the African, initially as an armourer for the New Zealand Wars.^[1]

He married Mary Ann Golding on 24 December 1861 in Auckland. She was the daughter of the army officer Nicholas Golding.^[1] His wife was born in March 1846 and was thus 15 years old when she married.^[2]

Political career

Smith served as an MP in the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the New Plymouth electorate from 1890 for two terms until the abeyance of that electorate in 1896.^[3] In the 1896 election, he contested the Taranaki electorate, but was beaten by the saw miller Henry Brown.^[4] At the 1899 election, he beat Brown,^[5] and represented the Taranaki electorate until his death in 1907.^[6]

Smith was one of the characters of the house, known for misplacing aspirates and for concluding speeches with his own verse. He became known as 'Ironsand Smith', lamenting the "hiron hores lying on the beach and never a man to work them", and for introducing himself as "Hi ham He Hem Smith. Hem Haitch Har" (translation: I am E M Smith, MHR). Apparently a buffoon, he was a hardworking member, and Seddon often had him follow—and deflate—serious-minded opposition debaters. His attire—a frock-coat, wide waistcoat with buttonhole, and out-of-doors a tam-o’shanter—was unconventional.^[7]

Ironsand

The family of Edward Metcalf and Mary Anne Smith (middle row), with their son Sydney in the front right

Ironsand, Edward Metcalf Smith

Due to his background, Smith was interested in utilising Taranaki's ironsand. He announced in 1868 that he would experiment with extracting the iron for smelting. In 1873, the partners moved to industrial production. The venture never made any profits and the company was wound up in 1881.^[1] Many people lost money with ironsand ventures, including Julius Vogel.^[8]

Death

On 19 April 1907, Smith died from injuries he received from a fall from a railway carriage in New Plymouth. He was survived by his seven sons, three daughters, and his wife Mary Ann.^[1] Smith's son, Sydney George Smith followed in his political footsteps and became the MP for Taranaki in 1918.^[6] Mary Ann Smith lived to see her son enter Parliament; she died on 31 August 1923 in New Plymouth.^[1]

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edward Metcalf Smith.

• Hamer, David (1988). The New Zealand Liberals: The Years of Power, 1891–1912. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 1-86940-014-3. 
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.