Anthony Thomas Smith

Anthony Thomas Smith QC (21 June 1935 – 15 September 2017){{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetimes-uk/obituary.aspx?n=anthony-thomas-smith&pid=186735812|title=Obituary notice, The Times|date=23 September 2017|website=legacy.com|access-date=11 November 2017}} was a British lawyer and Liberal Party politician.

Background

Smith was born the son of Sydney Ernest Smith and Winston Victoria Smith. He was educated at Northampton, Stafford, and Hinckley Grammar Schools, and at King's College, Cambridge (Exhibitioner; MA). In 1959 he married Letitia Ann Wheldon Griffith. They had one son and two daughters.‘SMITH, Anthony Thomas’, Who's Who 2016, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2015; online edn, Nov 2015 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U35254, accessed 20 July 2016]

Professional career

Smith was Called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1958. He served as a Flying Officer in the RAF from 1958 to 1960, then returned to his legal career. He was founder and Chairman of the Birmingham Free Representation Scheme. He was made a QC in 1977 and appointed as a Recorder.{{London Gazette

| issue = 47194

| date = 12 April 1977

| page = 4891

}} He was made a Bencher in 1985.‘SMITH, Anthony Thomas’, Who's Who 2016, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2015; online edn, Nov 2015 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U35254, accessed 20 July 2016]

Political career

Smith was Liberal candidate for the Northampton division at the 1959 General Election. The constituency was a Labour/Conservative marginal and the Liberals had not run a candidate since coming a poor third in 1950. His prospects were not good and the party did not improve on its position.British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1983, FWS Craig

=Electoral record=

{{Election box begin |

|title=General Election 1959: Northampton{{cite web|last1=Kimber|first1=Richard|title=UK General Election results 1959|url=http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge59/i15.htm|website=Political Science Resources|accessdate=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008221301/http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge59/i15.htm|archive-date=8 October 2016|url-status=dead}}

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Reginald Thomas Guy Des Voeux Paget

|votes = 27,823

|percentage = 46.30

|change = -6.45

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Joan Christabel Jill Knight

|votes = 25,106