Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Sir Gerard Smith, (12 December 1839 – 28 October 1920), a member of the Smith and Carington family, was a business leader, politician, and

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional ...

from 1895 to 1900.

Early life

Gerard Smith was born on 12 December 1839 in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

, London. He was the third son of

Martin Tucker Smith Martin Tucker Smith (6 July 1803 – 10 October 1880) was an English banker and Liberal Party politician. Biography Early life Martin Tucker Smith was born on 6 July 1803. He was the second son of John Smith (1767–1842), and his wife Elizabe ...

(1803–1880), politician, banker and director of the East India Co., and Louisa (Ridley) Smith. His paternal grandfather was John Smith (1767–1842), a banker and Tory Member of Parliament, and his maternal grandfather was

Matthew White Ridley Matthew Ridley may refer to: *Matthew Ridley (barrister), British Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK Parliament constituency), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1747–1774 *Sir Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Baronet (1745–1813) *Sir Matthew White Ri ...

, a baronet.

Career

Smith joined the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...

as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1857 and briefly saw service in Canada, retiring from the army in 1874. He joined the family bank, Samuel Smith, Bros. & Co., and went on to become a business leader in

Kingston-upon-Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east o ...

, being instrumental in the formation of the

Hull and Barnsley Railway Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in a ...

in 1880. He succeeded his second cousin

William Carington Sir William Henry Peregrine Carington (28 July 1845 – 7 October 1914) was a British soldier, courtier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1883 Biography Born William Carrington, he was the second son of Robert ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP for Wycombe from 1883 to 1885, and was a

Groom in Waiting The office of Groom in Waiting (sometimes hyphenated as Groom-in-Waiting) was a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, which in earlier times was usually held by more than one person at a time – in the late Middle Ages there might be d ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in the same period. In 1895, Smith was appointed

and knighted. He served as Governor until 1900.

Freemasonry

Smith was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, being initiated into Studholme Lodge No. 1591 on 4 May 1880 at the age of 41. He was subsequently passed to the Second Degree and raised to the Third Degree within two months, and on 17 January 1890, became

Worshipful Master In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the ...

of the Lodge. As was usual, when he was appointed Governor of Western Australia he was also appointed Past Junior Grand Warden of

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

. In 1898 he was appointed District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Western Australia. He was a supporter of the Grand Lodge movement then active in the colony, allowing his lodges to discuss the question. When the Grand Lodge of Western Australia was consecrated on 27 February 1900, he was elected as its first Grand Master. However, as his term as Governor was rapidly drawing to a close, he remained Grand Master for only one year.

Death

Smith died in London on 28 October 1920. His wife predeceased him in 1915.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Gerard 1839 births 1920 deaths Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Governors of Western Australia Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George UK MPs 1880–1885 Hull and Barnsley Railway Australian Freemasons

Gerard Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

Colony of Western Australia people People from Pimlico