Thomas Henry Smith (born 1 July 1830 in

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a c ...

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

) was an

Irish Australian Irish Australians ( ga, Gael-Astrálaigh) are an ethnic group of Australians, Australian citizens of Irish descent, which include immigrants from and descendants whose ancestry originates from the Ireland, island of Ireland. Irish Australians ...

who had a clear role in the

origins of Australian football The origins of Australian rules football date back to the late 1850s in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. There is documentary evidence of "foot-ball" being played in Australia as early as the 1820s. These games were ...

by being one of the first people to introduce school football games to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n public schools in 1858 and as one of the founders of the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home g ...

. Smith was a founding member and signatory to the foundation document of the Melbourne Football Club. According to some sources (including himself in an 1876 letter to ''

The Australasian The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victoria ...

'' ) he was one of few people to be present at the meeting of the incorporation of the club on 17 May 1859. At this meeting, the first

Laws of Australian Football The laws of Australian rules football were first created by the Melbourne Football Club in 1859 and have been refined over the years as the sport evolved into its modern form. The laws significantly predate the advent of a governing body for t ...

were decided upon and written. Smith was also a distinguished player for the club.

Life

Educated at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

(

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Du ...

) (1846–50), Smith was a headmaster at several

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s including the Model School and inspector for schools for

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

. Smith was involved in early experimental matches of Australian Football against

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

between July–August 1858 and is said to have facilitated the matches as one of three teachers who took part. In addition to being involved in the football club, Smith was a cricketer and member of the

Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ...

serving on the committee in 1861. He was captain of the Melbourne Football club in 1862 during the Caledonian Society games. He was also the first captain to take a test away from home when Melbourne played the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 20 ...

and won. In 1864 he was suspended from teaching due to his sharp temper and strict discipline before resigning from his position in 1875. Smith was involved in the selection committee at Melbourne FC in 1865. He moved to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, 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 o ...

and in 1876, wrote to ''

'' from there to speak out against what he perceived as poor journalism from which had overlooked his role in the foundation of the Melbourne Football Club. Details of his life are scant and according to the Melbourne Football Club, it is not known when and where he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Thomas H. 1830 births Year of death missing People from Carrickmacross Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Sportspeople from Melbourne Sportspeople from County Monaghan Irish players of Australian rules football Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Melbourne Football Club founders Australian headmasters Melbourne Football Club (pre-VFA) players