Anthony Thomas Smith QC (21 June 1935 – 15 September 2017) was a British

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and Liberal Party politician.

Background

Smith was born the son of Sydney Ernest Smith and Winston Victoria Smith. He was educated at

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

, and Hinckley Grammar Schools, and at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

(Exhibitioner; MA). In 1959 he married Letitia Ann Wheldon Griffith. They had one son and two daughters.

Professional career

Smith was Called to the Bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1958. He served as a Flying Officer in the RAF from 1958 to 1960, then returned to his legal career. He was founder and Chairman of the Birmingham Free Representation Scheme. He was made a QC in 1977 and appointed as a

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

. He was made a Bencher in 1985.

Political career

Smith was Liberal candidate for the

division at the 1959 General Election. The constituency was a Labour/Conservative marginal and the Liberals had not run a candidate since coming a poor third in 1950. His prospects were not good and the party did not improve on its position.British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1983, FWS Craig

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:SMITH, Anthony Thomas 1935 births 2017 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple Place of birth missing English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel 21st-century King's Counsel Royal Air Force officers