George John Smith

Colonel George John Smith (1862–1946) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the City of Christchurch electorate in the South Island, and later a member of the Legislative Council.

Early life

Smith was born in Consett in County Durham and educated at the Wesleyan Church School in Newcastle upon Tyne. Following that, he worked at the office of the Government solicitors.

He came to New Zealand in 1879. He was a lawyer and businessman in Christchurch. He was a councillor on the Sydenham Borough Council. A strong prohibitionist, Smith was elected to the Sydenham Licensing Committee in 1891, which was determined to refuse all licences in the borough. Several members including Smith were removed from this position by order of the Supreme Court for "incurable bias". Riverlaw was regarded as one of the finest colonial homes in Christchurch. It was significantly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and demolished soon after.

Smith was for many years a member of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College (1903–1907, 1913–1917, 1920–1946). He was Chairmen of the Board of Governors from 1928 to 1932.

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.