Sydney George Smith
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The Honourable Sydney George Smith |
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Sydney George Smith
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Taranaki |
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In office 1918 – 1925 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Okey |
| Succeeded by | Charles Bellringer |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Plymouth |
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In office 1928 – 1938 |
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| Preceded by | In abeyance since 1896 |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Frost |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 January 1879 New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Died | 21 May 1943 (aged 64) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Political party |
Liberal Party United Party |
| Spouse(s) | Rose Herbert (m. 1901, d. 1913) Kate Bint (m. 1915) |
| Relations | Edward Metcalf Smith (father) |
Sydney George Smith (19 January 1879 – 21 May 1943), known to his friends as Sid, was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party and then the National Party, and a cabinet minister.
Smith was born in New Plymouth in 1879. His parents were the MHR Edward Metcalf Smith and Mary Ann Golding. He enjoyed rugby during his youth, and later became an administrator for the sport for the Taranaki Region.
On 19 November 1901, he married Elsie Rose Herbert (known as Rose) at St Mary's Church in New Plymouth. She was a daughter of G H Herbert of the Royal Engineers. They had three children: Rosa Maud (b. 1902), Ethel Mary (b. 1905), and Edward George (b. 1906). His wife died on 3 April 1913, aged 35.
Smith remarried on 25 February 1915, to Catherine (Kate) Bint, again at St Mary's Church. Kate Bint was born in July 1892 at Tarata in Taranaki, some 18 kilometres (11 mi) by road west of Inglewood. He had a further three children from his second marriage: Raymond Sydney (1916–1944), Harry Allman (1918–1998), and Lorna Hazel (b. 1922).
He worked in the New Zealand Railways for 20 years, and for 13 years held office in the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants.
Smith held various offices with trade unions. He was on the New Plymouth Borough Council. He had interests in education.
Smith successfully contested the Taranaki electorate in a by-election in 1918 (following the death of Henry Okey) as an Independent Labour candidate. Smith sat together with the other Labour MPs in Parliament but always stressed his independence. Soon after entering the house MP Charles Wilkinson referred to Labour Party leader Alfred Hindmarsh as the "leader" of Smith. In reply Smith said "You leave the member for Taranaki alone, he will choose his own leader."
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