Frank James Smith (1852 – 4 January 1910) was an English-born Australian politician.

Early life

His parents were land speculator Lewis Francis Smith and Sarah Leicester. He arrived in Victoria around 1867, and then spent some time in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. He worked as a printer's apprentice in Victoria and then moved to Balmain in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

around 1877. He trained as a solicitor, however he never practised. Around 1872 he married Sarah Thursdon, with whom he had a daughter.

Political career

In 1887 he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

as a

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

member for Balmain. He was re-elected in 1889, but was defeated in 1891.

Criminal conviction

Smith was the managing director of the Australian Mercantile Loan and Guarantee Company from September 1889 until September 1890, and the company was placed into liquidation on 11 September 1891. In February 1892 he was convicted of conspiracy to fraudulently misrepresent the financial affairs of the company, and was sentenced to imprisonment for 7 years. Peter Howe, another member of the Legislative Assembly, was also a director of the company. In 1891 Howe had been convicted of conspiracy to defraud the company and was also sentenced to imprisonment for 7 years. Smith was released from prison in June 1895 after serving 3 years.

Later life

He attempted to return to politics, standing as an independent candidate at the July 1895 election for Balmain North, but polled just 32 votes. Smith died at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

on .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Frank 1852 births 1910 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Free Trade Party politicians Australian politicians convicted of fraud Colony of New South Wales people