John Valentine Smith (1824 – 10 February 1895) was a New Zealand landowner, militia leader, and politician.

Biography

Smith was born in 1824 at

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, where his father was with the Admiralty. Smith received his education at public schools in England. He was involved in

Charles Enderby Charles Enderby (1797–1876) was one of three sons of Samuel Enderby Junior (1756–1829). He was the grandson of Samuel Enderby (1717–1797), who founded the Samuel Enderby & Sons company in 1775. Samuel Enderby & Sons was one of the ...

's scheme in the late 1840s of turning the Auckland Islands into a Crown colony for Britain. Enderby held the Queen's commission as Lieutenant-governor, and Smith as Enderby's secretary thus filled the role of colonial secretary. They sailed for the Auckland Islands from

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 ...

in November 1849 on the ''Samuel Enderby''. The scheme was unsuccessful and abandoned after just over two years. Smith was a significant figure in the Wairarapa region, owning the prominent

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

, Annedale, and Mataikona

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

s. He was elected on 26 November

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens ...

to represent the

Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay is a former parliamentary electorate in the Wellington region of New Zealand, from 1853 to 1859, when it was extended into previously unincorporated territories, split in two and replaced by with its southern portion b ...

electorate in the

2nd New Zealand Parliament The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament, Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 New Zealand general election, 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in prep ...

, but resigned on 10 March 1858 before the end of his term. He did not serve in any subsequent Parliaments. Smith was also the leader of the local militia, holding the rank of major. In the 1860s, he gained attention for his push to construct a

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

to defend against possible

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

attack. Many people, including

Isaac Featherston Isaac Earl Featherston (21 March 1813 – 19 June 1876) was a New Zealand politician, and was known for his advocacy for the establishment of New Zealand self-government, and the importance of the provincial governments. Early life and family ...

, the Superintendent of Wellington Province, believed that the construction of stockade would make conflict more likely, but after much work, Smith was able to convince the government to fund the project. The construction, however, was plagued with difficulties, and the final result was unsatisfactory. The stockade never saw action, and has been termed "Major Smith's Folly." In circa 1883, Smith relocated to

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

, where he died on 10 February 1895. His son, Harold Smith, was a member of the 19th Parliament.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, J. Valentine 1824 births 1895 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives People from Masterton People of the New Zealand Wars New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians