William Smithe: Trial Observer

by M. James Roche

William Smithe was a prominent British Columbian politician who eventually became premier of the province. He was born on June 30th, 1842 in Maffen, Northumberland, England. After completing his education at Whittington he lived and worked in Newcastle. He was a devout Methodist, and a sober and proper youth.¹

In 1862 he had tired of England and decided to emigrate to British Columbia, possibly due to the gold rush and promise of a fortune.² Smithe arrived in British Columbia in 1862 and settled on a farm at Somenos (which he called "The Hermitage") in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. He was lured to the gold fields of the Cariboo and periodically worked a claim on Grouse River. In 1864 he abandoned mining completely and returned to his farm at Somenos.³ Smithe's political career ostensibly began in 1865 when he was appointed road commissioner for the Cowichan Valley.⁴

In June 1868 Smithe attended the the trial of Tshuanahusset in Victoria, perhaps while awaiting the steamer prior to his move to San Francisco. He held his property in Somenos, which indicated he did not intend the move to be permanent. While in San Francisco he worked for The San Francisco Chronicle as a journalist. His job in San Francisco was not the first time he had contributed to a newspaper. He had been writing for The Victoria Daily Colonist as a freelance journalist and correspondent for years, and there was an article written by Smithe in the Cariboo Sentinel on June 1, 1868. His stay in San Francisco only lasted for 18 months.

In 1871 he returned to British Columbia for good. There is no confirmed reason for his return, though it is likely because he wanted to run in the provincial election. His platform in the 1871 election was for public education. His campaign was successful and he was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Cowichan. He was an able politician and remained MLA for Cowichan until his death. In 1876 he was appointed to the cabinet and held the position of Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Finance in the Elliot government.⁵ In 1883 William Smithe became premier of British Columbia. He held this post in a period of extremely unstable politics until his death on March 29, 1887.⁶

William Smithe married Miss Martha Kier on July 3rd, 1873 at Maple Bay. The Kier family were among the oldest and most successful farming families in the Cowichan Valley. The Smithe's had three children.⁷

Smithe's connection to the murder of William Robinson appears to have been as a member of the media. He was an observer of the trial and wrote an article to the editor of The Daily Colonist expressing his views. He raised some doubts as to the evidence used in the trial and reported details on the case.⁸

Smithe was evidently a very opinionated man. In 1883 he was invited to a dinner by a number of American journalists who were touring Victoria. At this dinner he was called on to say a few words. He talked for a long time, much longer than he was allotted. He claimed that the United States would not last because its people were too different. After the collapse, Smithe predicted a new country, which stretched from Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassed everything to the west. He felt this country would produce a man who would be the "mental and physical superior of every other race".⁹ This greatly offended the American reporters and they departed as disgruntled visitors.

Notes:
1. Sydney Wayne Jackman, Portaits of the Premiers: an informal history of British Columbia . (Vancouver: Gray's Publishing Limited, 1969) p. 63.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. British Columbia Archives, (hereafter BCA), Vertical Files, William Smithe, "Old Homes and Families," The Daily Colonist , 10 October, 1948.
5. BCA, Vertical Files, William Smithe, "Capital Column," The Vancouver Sun , 19 June 1954.
6. It is unclear about the cause of his death. It was from an illness that came on rather suddenly; he was dead within a matter of weeks. Newspaper reports around the time mention only that he was ill and that his family was around him at the time of his death.
7. Jackman, Portraits of the Premiers , p. 64.
8. Ruth Sandwell and John Lutz, "Settler Society," Who Killed William Robinson, March 16 1997,
http://web.uvic.ca/history-robinson, (September 21, 1997).
9. BCA, Vertical Files, William Smithe, "Western Supermen," Date and publication unknown.