J. Valentine Smith

File:John Valentine Smith.jpg

Portrait of John Valentine Smith

John Valentine Smith (1824 – 10 February 1895) was a New Zealand landowner, militia leader, and politician.

Biography

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1855–1858	2nd	Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay		Independent

Smith was born in 1824 at Malta, where his father was with the Admiralty. Smith received his education at public schools in England.

He was involved in Charles Enderby's scheme in the late 1840s of turning the Auckland Islands into a Crown colony for Britain. Enderby held the Queen's commission as Lieutenant-governor, and Smith as Enderby's secretary thus filled the role of colonial secretary. They sailed for the Auckland Islands from Hobart in November 1849 on the Samuel Enderby. The scheme was unsuccessful and abandoned after just over two years.

Smith was a significant figure in the Wairarapa region, owning the prominent Lansdowne, Annedale, and Mataikona runs. He was elected on 26 November 1855 to represent the Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay electorate in the 2nd New Zealand Parliament, but resigned on 10 March 1858 before the end of his term. He did not serve in any subsequent Parliaments.

Smith was also the leader of the local militia, holding the rank of Major. In the 1860s, he gained attention for his push to construct a stockade at Masterton to defend against possible Māori attack. Many people, including Isaac Featherston, the Superintendent of Wellington Province, believed that the construction of stockade would make conflict more likely, but after much work, Smith was able to convince the government to fund the project. The construction, however, was plagued with difficulties, and the final result was unsatisfactory. The stockade never saw action, and has been termed "Major Smith's Folly."

In circa 1883, Smith relocated to Patea, where he died on 10 February 1895.

His son, Harold Smith, was a member of the 19th Parliament.

References

• Scholefield 1940, p. 312.
• Scholefield 1950, p. 139.
• Scholefield 1940, p. 310.