Thomas Elder Barr Smith (8 December 1863 – 26 November 1941) was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n pastoralist and philanthropist. Tom Barr Smith was born in

Woodville, South Australia Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about northwest of Adelaide city centre. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011. Woodville is bound by Cheltenham Parade to the west, Torrens Road to the north, Po ...

, the son of

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smi ...

, and his wife Joanna Lang, ''née'' Elder. On 5 May 1886 he married Mary Isabel Mitchell, at St Andrew's Church, Walkerville. In 1917, Barr Smith subdivided his estate, which became the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburb of Torrens Park. In 1928 he gave £30,000 to the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

to enable the building of the Barr Smith Library. His interests included competing in car rallies. A steam locomotive, now preserved in the

National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide Australia's National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Australia. More than 100 major exhibits, mainly from the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways and their successor, Australian National, are on display a ...

, was named after him in 1926. There is a plaque in his honour on the

Jubilee 150 Walkway The Jubilee 150 Walkway, also variously known as the Jubilee 150 Commemorative Walk, the Jubilee 150 Walk, Jubilee 150 Plaques, the Jubilee Walk, or simply J150, is a series of (initially) 150 bronze plaques set into the pavement of Nort ...

Family

*Father:

(1824–1915) *Mother: Joanna Elder - sister of Sir Thomas Elder *Uncles: Sir

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

(1818–1897), William Elder (1813–1882),

Alexander Lang Elder Alexander Lang Elder (18 April 1815 – 5 September 1885) was a Scottish Australian businessman and politician in colonial South Australia. Biography Elder was the second son of George Elder of Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, by Joanna Haddo, his ...

(1815–1885) and George Elder (1816–1897) *Daughter: Joanna Lang Barr Smith, Lady Gosse (1886–1965) married Sir

James Hay Gosse Sir James Hay Gosse (21 December 1876 – 14 August 1952) was an Australian businessman, sportsman, and philanthropist. He was involved with a number of different companies and community organisations in and around Adelaide, South Australia. Earl ...

(1876–1952) on 29 April 1908, at St. Andrew's, Walkerville, South Australia. *Son: Sir Tom Elder Barr Smith (1904–1968)Shanahan, Martin. (2002
'Smith, Sir Tom Elder Barr (1904-1968)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16, Melbourne University Press, pp 274-275. Retrieved on 11 July 2009.

References

1863 births 1941 deaths Tom Elder {{Philanthropist-stub