Martin Tucker Smith (6 July 1803 – 10 October 1880)[1] was a member of the Smith Banking dynasty, who served as a bank manager and MP.[2][3]
Martin Tucker Smith | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Midhurst | |
| In office 1831–1832 | |
| Member of Parliament for Wycombe | |
| In office 1847–1865 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1803 |
| Died | 10 October 1880 (aged 77) |
| Spouse | Louisa Ridley |
| Children | 10, including Gerard Smith |
| Parent(s) | John Smith Elizabeth Tucker Smith |
| Relatives | Sir Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Baronet (father-in-law) |
Biography
editEarly life
editMartin Tucker Smith was born on 6 July 1803. He was the second son of John Smith, MP (1767–1842), and his wife Elizabeth (née Tucker). His father was a member of the family which owned the Smith's Bank group of companies, and Martin joined the family business, becoming a partner in the London bank Smith, Payne and Smiths.[4]
Career
editLike his father and many of his ancestors, Smith entered politics. At the 1831 general election he was elected as one of the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for Midhurst in Sussex, a rotten borough in the control of his first cousin Lord Carrington. However, the borough's representation was reduced to one member in 1832, and Smith stood down. He did not re-enter Parliament until the 1847 general election when he was elected unopposed as one of the two MPs for the borough of Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.[2] He was re-elected at the next three general elections, before standing down at the 1865 general election.[2]
Smith also served as a director on the British East India Company during its final years, before the company's liquidation in 1858.[3]
Personal life
editIn 1831, he married Louisa Ridley, the daughter of Sir Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Baronet; they had ten children.
His third son Gerard Smith (1839–1920) was a British Army officer and banker who served as MP for Wycombe from 1883 to 1885,[5] and as Governor of Western Australia from 1895 to 1900.[6] After his death in 1880 at the age of 77, his estate was valued at £350,000[4] (equivalent to £36,403,000 in 2025 values[7]).
References
edit- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
- 1 2 3 Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [First published 1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 344. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- 1 2 "SMITH, Martin Tucker (1803-1880), of 43 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- 1 2 "WILL AND BEQUESTS.—The will, dated December 21, 1876 of Mr. Martin Tucker Smith". The Times. London. 24 November 1880. p. 10.
- ↑ "Election Intelligence - Wycombe". The Times. London. 12 March 1883. p. 10.
- ↑ "Obituaries: Lt.-Col. Sir Gerard Smith". The Times. London. 30 October 1920. p. 13.
- ↑ UK Consumer Price Index inflation figures from 1209–2024 based on data from "Inflation calculator". Bank of England. London. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Martin Tucker Smith
- SMITH, Martin Tucker (1803-1880) at historyofparliament.org