E. D. Smith

Ernest D'Israeli Smith (December 8, 1853 – October 15, 1948) was a Canadian businessman and politician who founded a food company that bears his name.

Life Smith was born December 8, 1853 in the hamlet of Winona in what is today Stoney Creek, Ontario. The first of six children, born to Damaris and Sylvester Smith, the family was raised on farmland granted to his father's family, who were United Empire Loyalists.

After the start of the Second World War, E.D. Smith & Sons Ltd. acquired the Canadian rights to H.P. Sauce Ltd. of Britain, and in 1948, the latter's subsidiary, Lea & Perrins Ltd. On October 15, 1948, E.D. Smith died. The private company bearing his name was sold to Imperial Capital in 2001. In October 2007, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. It was sold in October 2022 to Investindustrial becoming part of Winland Foods. Its current product line includes jams and spreads, syrups, pie fillings, ketchup, sauces, and salad dressings.

The E.D. Smith archives and collection (family and factory) are currently housed in the Erland Lee Museum in Stoney Creek

Political career Smith was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Wentworth South in 1900. Under redistribution, four years later, Smith was re-elected as MP for the combined constituency of Wentworth, which covered all of Wentworth County outside Hamilton. He won a by-election in 1905.

Smith was appointed to the Senate in 1913 and served until he resigned in 1946, just two years before his death.