Lieutenant-Colonel Hon. William Collard Smith, (19 July 1830 – 20 October 1894) was a politician in colonial
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...
, member of 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 presiding ...
and Minister of Education 1880 to 1881.
Smith was youngest son of William Smith, manager of a large cotton factory at
Bollington
Bollington is a town and civil parish in Cheshire, England, to the east of Prestbury. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield and the ancient parish of Prestbury. In 2011, it had a population of 8,310.
B ...
, in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where he was born. He emigrated to Victoria in 1852, and ultimately settled at
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
, of which he was Mayor. Identifying himself with the mining interest, he began to acquire that ascendency in the local politics of the goldfields' city, which he for many years maintained.
Smith was returned to the Legislative Assembly in August 1861 for Ballarat West, in conjunction with the ex-Premier of Victoria,
Duncan Gillies
Duncan Gillies (14 January 1834 – 12 September 1903), was an Australian colonial politician who served as the 14th Premier of Victoria.
Gillies was born at Overnewton near Glasgow, Scotland, where his father had a market garden. He was sent ...
, and after a brief retirement stood again in 1871, when he was returned, and represented the constituency without intermission till April 1892, when he was defeated. Lieut.-Colonel Smith, who holds that rank in the local forces, early identified himself with the volunteer movement, and distinguished himself in Parliament by his mastery of the Local Government question. He was Minister of Mines in
Graham Berry
Sir Graham Berry, (28 August 1822 – 25 January 1904),
Australian colonial politician, was the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined e ...
's first Government from August to October 1875, and held the same office in conjunction with that of Minister of Education in Berry's second Cabinet from May 1877 to March 1880. He also acted as
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in March 1891, and the next year lost his seat for Ballarat West. In September 1894 Smith was again elected for Ballarat West, but died soon afterward.