John Henry "Jack" Smith (16 June 1881 – 18 January 1953) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1921 to 1936 and again from 1939 to 1943, on both occasions representing the seat of Nelson. He stood for parliament eleven times in total, winning on six occasions. Smith was born in

Bridgetown, Western Australia Bridgetown is a town in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia, approximately south of Perth on the Blackwood River at the intersection of South Western Highway with Brockman Highway to Nannup, Western Austra ...

, to Eliza (née Cain) and Joseph Smith. After leaving school, he worked as a tin miner in Greenbushes for eight years, and later became the licensee of a Bridgetown hotel. He also served on the Bridgetown Road Board, including as chairman for a period. Smith was president of the local branch of the Labor Party until 1917, when he left the party.John Henry Smith
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2016. He first stood for parliament at the 1917 state election, running as an "independent Labor" candidate, but was defeated by

Francis Willmott Francis Edward Sykes Willmott (1870 – 29 January 1941) was an Australian politician who was a member of both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, serving in the Legislative Assembly from 1914 to 1921, and then in the Legislative ...

(the sitting Country Party member) in the seat of Nelson. At the 1920 Legislative Council elections, he contested South-West Province as an independent, but was again defeated by a sitting member,

Ephraim Clarke Ephraim Mayo Clarke (21 August 1846 – 15 April 1921) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1901 until his death, representing South-West Province. He was a minister in the second g ...

of the Nationalist Party. Smith eventually entered parliament at the 1921 state election, standing as an "independent Country" candidate and defeating Willmott (his earlier opponent) in Nelson. In September 1922, Smith left the

crossbench A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

to join the Country Party."STATE PARLIAMENT."
''Great Southern Herald'' (

Katanning, Western Australia Katanning is a town located south-east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 census, Katanning had a population of 3,687. History The name ''Katanning'' is derived from the native name ...

), 30 September 1922. When the party split into two opposing factions in 1923, he joined the Ministerial faction, which supported the government of James Mitchell and the coalition with the Nationalist Party. He retained his seat at the 1924 state election, and after the election became a Nationalist himself, as with most other members of his faction. Smith was re-elected at the 1927,

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

, and 1933 elections, but in 1936 lost his seat to an independent,

Clarence Doust Clarence Isaac Doust (3 August 1885 – 19 April 1961) was an Australian farmer and politician who was an independent member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1936 to 1939, representing the seat of Nelson. Doust was born i ...

, by a large margin. He reclaimed the seat in 1939, but in 1943 lost to Labor's

Ernest Hoar Ernest Knight Hoar (20 October 1898 – 1 May 1979) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1943 to 1957, representing Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nels ...

by just 17 votes. Smith ran for parliament one last time in 1950, at the age of 68, standing as an independent in the new seat of Blackwood and losing to John Hearman of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

by a narrow margin. He died in Pinjarra in January 1953, aged 71. He had married Mary Agnes Murnan in 1907, with whom he had two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Henry 1881 births 1953 deaths Australian Labor Party politicians Australian miners Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Bridgetown, Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors