Henry Walton Smith

Henry Walton Smith (1738–1792) was the founder of W H Smith, one of the United Kingdom's largest bookselling and newspaper vending businesses.

Brought up in Wrington in Somerset, Henry Walton Smith moved to London and became an assistant to Charles Rogers. In 1792, together with his wife Anna, he founded his news vending business in London.

He died only a few months later on 23 August 1792.

In 1784 he married Anna Eastaugh, a servant girl, leading to the loss of his inheritance. They went on to have two sons, Henry Edward Smith and William Henry Smith, and one daughter, Mary Anne Smith.

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