James Smith Reid

James Smith Reid (c. 1848 – 15 January 1922) generally referred to as "J. S. Reid" and familiarly as "Smith", was an Australian newspaper owner, editor and businessman.

Reid was born in County Donegal, Ireland to Rev. James Reid MA (c. 1814 – 2 May 1866) and his wife Eliza Reid, née Smith (c. 1823 – 6 August 1900). Rev. Reid was a graduate of Glasgow University, a man of moderate means who fell on hard times.

He served an apprenticeship as printer with F. T. Rayner of the Port Denison Times and began his journalistic career in October 1870 founding the Ravenswood Miner of Ravenswood, Queensland, site of North Queensland's first significant gold strike. The next venture was a newspaper in Gympie, then the Northern Miner in Millchester, close to Charters Towers. Other NQ strikes were at the Gilbert River, Etheridge, the Palmer River and the Hodgkinson, all within the space of eight years. Their third newspaper was the Cooktown Courier at Cooktown, where one of their staff was H. E. King. From Cooktown they went to the Hodgkinson field, founding the Hodgkinson Mining News which proved a disappointment.

In December 1880, making a break from goldfields, Reid founded the Western Grazier in Wilcannia then the bi-weekly Silver Age in Silverton, shortly moving it to Broken Hill. His press printed the first prospectus for the original Broken Hill Proprietary promoted by the "14 syndicate", and he is reputed to have had a hand in its authorship. Several brothers were involved with him in these enterprises, and became quite wealthy. He sold the Silver Age to E. Govett and W. J. P. Giddings

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