Ernest D'Israeli Smith (December 8, 1853 – October 15, 1948) was a Canadian businessman and politician who founded a food company that bears his name.

Life

He was born in the hamlet of Winona, part of Saltfleet Township (which became Stoney Creek) on Ontario's

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

. His wife, Christina Ann Smith, was the first president of the Women’s Institute in Stoney Creek, which was also organized by Adelaide Hoodless and

Erland Erland is a Nordic countries, Nordic given name with several possible origins. It is typically believed to come from the Old Norse or , meaning ''foreigner''. Other possible origins are and the Proto-Norse words * (''here'') and * (''noble'', ''i ...

and

Janet Lee Janet Lee (, born October 22, 1976) is a Taiwanese-American retired tennis player. She won three doubles titles during her professional career on the WTA Tour. She competed in all four Grand Slam tournaments in both singles and doubles. Her car ...

. In his mature years, Smith relied on his sons to spearhead new business ventures. An expansion to Britain was foiled by the start of the First World War, and continued fruit sales in Canada were reduced by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s. Consequently, the company concentrated on tomato production for export since it was more of a staple than fruit. His farms were a place where Women's roles in the World Wars, women worked during the First World War as part of the Women's Work on the Land program. This program brought female university students onto farms during the summer to help with food production.Library and Archives Canada, Lois Allan fonds, MG 30 C 173, volume 1, handwritten page of diary regarding work at the E.D. Smith Jam Factory, summer of 1918, archival reference number R1792-0-2-E
/ref> After the start of the World War II, Second World War, E.D. Smith & Sons Ltd. acquired the Canadian rights to H.P. Sauce Ltd. of Britain and in 1948 the latter's subsidiary Lea & Perrins Ltd. On October 15, 1948, E.D. Smith died. The private company bearing his name was sold to Imperial Capital in 2001. In October 2007 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Its current product line includes jams & spreads, syrups, pie fillings, ketchup, sauces, and salad dressings. The E.D. Smith archives and collection (family and factory) is currently housed in the Erland Lee Museum in Stoney Creek

Political career

Smith was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as the Conservative Party of Canada (historical), Conservative Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wentworth South in 1900. Under redistribution, four years later Smith was re-elected as MP for the combined constituency of Wentworth (electoral district), Wentworth which covered all of Wentworth County, Ontario, Wentworth County outside Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. He won a by-election in 1905. Smith was appointed to the Senate of Canada, Senate in 1913, and served until he resigned in 1946 just two years before his death.

References

External links

*
E. D. Smith Foods, Ltd., corporate siteTreehouse Foods, Inc., corporate site''Agricultural History''
pay-per-read scholarly article {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, E.D. 1853 births 1948 deaths Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian senators from Ontario Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario