John Gordon Smith (1863 – 19 June 1921) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

. Smith was born at Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to William Smith and his wife Christina (née Duncan). He was a publican in Maryborough and the proprietor of a night coffee stall in Queen Street, Brisbane, in 1900. Smith was President of the British Associated Friendly Societies Dispensary as well as a Past Grand Master of the

Ancient Order of Foresters The Foresters Friendly Society is a British friendly society which was formed in 1834 as the Ancient Order of Foresters. As of 31 December 2016, the society had approximately 75,000 members. Its head office is located in Southampton, England. ...

Political career

When the Labour Party starting forming governments in Queensland, it found much of its legislation being blocked by a hostile Council, where members had been appointed for life by successive conservative governments. After a failed

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in May 1917, Premier

Ryan Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...

tried a new tactic, and later that year advised the Governor, Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, to appoint thirteen new members whose allegiance lay with Labour to the Council."Goold-Adams, Sir Hamilton John (1858–1920)"
''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

''. Retrieved 14 April 2015. In 1920, the new Premier

Ted Theodore Edward Granville Theodore (29 December 1884 – 9 February 1950) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1919 to 1925, as leader of the state Labor Party. He later entered federal politics, serving as Treasurer in ...

appointed a further fourteen new members to the Council with Smith amongst the appointees. He served until his death in June the next year.

Personal life

On 11 January 1884, Smith married Annie Coles and together had one son and four daughters. He died in Brisbane in June 1921 and was buried at Toowong Cemetery.Smith John Gordon
– Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 14 April 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1863 births 1921 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Burials at Toowong Cemetery People from Rhynie, Aberdeenshire British emigrants to Australia