John Smith (Conservative politician): Difference between revisions

Sir John Lindsay Eric Smith

in 1965.

Early and private life

Smith was born in London, the son of

since 1967.

Smith was educated at

Ceylon

at the end of the War.

After the War, he read history at New College, Oxford, where he later became an honorary fellow in 1979. He met his future wife, Christian Carnegy, in Oxford, where she was reading English. They married in 1952.

They had two sons and three daughters:

• Serena Mary Smith (married
  Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
  )
• Bartholomew Evan Eric Smith (born 1 February 1955; founder of the Amber Foundation and
  West London Aero Club
  )
• Adam Carnegy Eric Smith (born 1953)
• Dido Smith
• Emma Smith, who pre-deceased him

Smith owned a property at No. 1, Smith Square, in his former constituency. However, he resided at Shottesbrooke Park, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, the ancient home of the Vansittart family which he inherited from his father's second cousin in 1962.

He died in Windsor. He was survived by his wife, their two sons, and two of their three daughters.

Financial and political career

He followed the family tradition of being a director of

, the private bank and a subsidiary of National Provincial, in 1950. He was the ninth generation of Smiths to work in the bank. He remained a director for 43 years, until 1993.

He also joined the boards of many other companies, including

. He was awarded the OBE in 1964.

He was a

. Smith served until he stood down in 1970. He was awarded the CBE in 1975.

He served as High Steward of

Companion of Honour

in 1994.

He greatly enjoyed travelling, and claimed to be the first man to visit all of the explorers' huts in Antarctica.

Conservation

Smith served on committees of the

from 1980 to 1982.

He founded the Manifold Trust in 1962, to raise money for charity by buying long leases close to the date of their expiry. The rather speculative venture was very successful, producing a "cataract of gold" which funded many of his charitable interests, including the Landmark Trust, which he founded three years later, and which still operates from his estate at Shottesbrooke. He was involved in canal restoration through his friendship with L. T. C. Rolt, and was a driving force behind the preservation of HMS Belfast, HMS Warrior and SS Great Britain.

References

• thePeerage.com
• Obituary, The Independent, 1 March 2007
• Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 3 March 2007
• Obituary, The Times, 3 March 2007
• Obituary, The Guardian, 10 March 2007

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Harry Hylton-Foster	Member of Parliament for the 1970	Succeeded by Christopher Tugendhat
Honorary titles
Preceded by Hon. David Smith	Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire 1975–1978	Succeeded by Hon. Gordon Palmer