Joseph Henry Smith (17 March 1904 – 2 April 1993) was an Australian politician. He was born in Mansfield to farmer Sidney Gordon Smith and Isabella Martin. He attended state schools and worked on the family farm, and worked briefly for the Electricity Commission before becoming an engine cleaner. In the Great Depression he was unemployed, but he later rejoined the railways and became an engine driver. On 11 August 1934 he married Thelma Duffield, with whom he had two children. He was an active member of the Labor Party and served as chairman of the

Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen The Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees (AFULE) is an Australian trade union representing railway workers. It was formerly a national union which largely merged into the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union in 1992; however, ...

. In 1945 he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

. He was defeated in 1947 but re-elected in 1950. From 1952 to 1953 he was Assistant Minister of Lands, and from 1953 to 1955 Minister of Lands, Soldier Settlement and Conservation. His seat was abolished in 1955 and he was defeated contesting

Broadmeadows Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Broadmeadows recorded a population of 12,524 at the 2021 census. Broadmeadow ...

. He farmed near Seymour after leaving politics, and ultimately retired to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. Smith died in 1993. His brother Arthur Smith was also a member of the Victorian Parliament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joseph 1904 births 1993 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Ministers for the Conservation (Victoria) 20th-century Australian politicians