George Paton Smith

George Paton Smith (1829 – 9 December 1877) was a politician and Attorney-General of Victoria.^[1]

Smith was born at Berwick-on-Tweed, England, son of James Smith and Jessie née Paton.^[2] In 1855 he emigrated to Victoria (Australia) and started as a draper in Sandhurst (now Bendigo).^[1] In 1858 he relinquished business, and took employment in Melbourne as a reporter on the Argus. The next year he became editor of the Leader, the weekly journal published in connection with the Melbourne Age; and of the latter paper was subsequently sub-editor and, for a short time, editor.^[1]

Whilst engaged as a journalist, Smith was admitted to the Victorian Bar in September 1861, and in 1865 was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for South Bourke as a Liberal and Protectionist.^[1] From July 1868 to September 1869 Smith was Attorney-General in the second James McCulloch Ministry, but at the General Election in January 1871 he did not seek re-election for South Bourke.^[1] On 17 May 1870 a disgruntled Irish-born previous employee at The Age, Gerald Supple, shot Smith in La Trobe Street, inflicting a wound to Smith's elbow and killing a bystander.^[3] In 1874, Smith was again returned unopposed, and sat till 1877, when the constituency was divided, and Smith was returned for the Boroondara portion. Smith died on 9 December 1877.^[1]

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