Sir Alexander Abel Smith (18 September 1904 – 17 April 1980) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and merchant banker.

Life

A member of the

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

banking family, he was the son of Francis Abel Smith (died 1908) of Wilford House, Nottinghamshire; and was the younger brother of Henry Abel Smith. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and Magdalen College, Oxford. After university he worked in

JP Morgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in City of New York, New York City and Delaware General Corporation Law, inco ...

in New York. Abel Smith served in Anti-Aircraft Command in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and then joined the British Army Staff, Washington. He was an honorary Brigadier in the British Army. From about 1946 he was a partner in J. Henry Schroder Wagg. He was Chairman of the

Pressed Steel Company Pressed Steel Company Limited was a British car body manufacturing business founded at Cowley near Oxford in 1926 as a joint venture between William Morris, Budd Corporation of Philadelphia USA, which held the controlling interest, and a Br ...

from 1955 to 1965 and of Provident Mutual Life Assurance Association Ltd. from 1966 to 1973.

Family

Abel Smith married in 1936 Elizabeth Morgan, who died in 1948. Secondly, he was the second husband of

Henriette, Lady Abel Smith Dame Henriette Alice, Lady Abel Smith, ( Cadogan; 6 June 1914 – 3 May 2005) was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II from 1949 to 1987. Early life Henriette Alice Cadogan was the daughter of Commander Francis Charles Cadogan, a Royal N ...

, Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II.

Notes

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abel Smith, Alexander 1904 births 1980 deaths Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order English justices of the peace British bankers British Army brigadiers of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit Knights First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Smith and Carington family Royal Artillery soldiers Royal Artillery officers Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers