John Smith (c. 1608 – 4 November 1657) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1644. He supported the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

cause in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. Smith was the son of Oliver Smith, alderman and mayor of Oxford and his first wife Anne Bussey. He was baptised at St Aldate's Church on 23 February 1609. In September 1631 he was appointed junior bailiff. He was mayor of Oxford in 1639. In October 1640 he stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Oxford but in November 1640, he was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

at a by-election for the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

. He entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

on 16 March 1641.W R Williams ''The Parliamentary History of the County of Oxford''
/ref> On 15 August 1642 he contributed 6 pounds of powder and 2 yards of match for the King's cause and later attended the King's parliament at Oxford. He was accordingly disabled from sitting in parliament in 1644. In 1646 he compounded for delinquency and was fined £200. In 1648 parliament ordained that he lost his place on the Mayor's Council.
/ref> Smith died at the age of 49 and was buried at St Aldate's Church, Oxford. Smith married Elizabeth Bosworth daughter of Henry Bosworth, brewer and former mayor, at St Aldate's Church on 14 October 1627.

References

1608 births 1657 deaths English MPs 1640–1648 {{17thC-England-MP-stub