John Henry Smyth

This article is about the British politician. For the American diplomat, see John H. Smythe.

John Henry Smyth MP
Member of Parliament for Cambridge University
In office 1812–1822
Personal details
Born	(1780-03-20)20 March 1780
Died	Hastings
Resting place	St. Peter at Warmfield in Kirkthorp
Nationality	British
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Sarah Caroline Ibbetson Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

John Henry Smyth MP (20 March 1780 – 20 October 1822) was a Whig member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 9 June 1812 until his death.

Personal life and education

Smyth was educated at Eton College and then Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied Classics, and the Middle Temple.

Smyth inherited Heath Hall, Wakefield, Yorkshire from his father John Smyth (1748–1811), MP of Pontefract from 1783 to 1807. His mother was Lady Georgiana, eldest daughter of Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton.

John Henry married Sarah Caroline Ibbetson, daughter of Henry, on 5 July 1810, but she died the following year on 29 May aged just 25. Three years later on 18 April 1814, he was remarried to his cousin Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy, daughter of his uncle, George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton. They had two sons and four daughters: his eldest son was John George Smyth, a Conservative MP for City of York (1847–1865), while his second son, Henry Smyth, was an Army officer and the grandfather of Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet, recipient of the Victoria Cross. His daughters were Elizabeth Sarah, Louisa Georgiana, Maria Isabella, and Frances.

He was buried in the same vault as his first wife Sarah, in the church of the parish of St. Peter at Warmfield in Kirkthorp, where they were married.

Career

Before he was elected to Parliament, Smyth was Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in Pitt's government at his father's request, from July 1804 to February 1806. His father sought to have him elected to Parliament from 1802. He stood for election in the Cambridge University constituency in 1811 when his uncle vacated his seat on joining the Lords, but he lost to Henry Temple, Lord Palmerston 451–345. Although he had served Pitt and his father was a Conservative, the younger Smyth had become a Whig at university and sat for that party when finally elected unopposed the following year when the other Cambridge University seat also became vacant. As an MP from 1812, he supported reduced military spending, reduced taxation, and the end of the slave trade, and he joined the finance committee in 1819. He was unwell during his last term in office and lived in Hastings for several months in the hope of recovering his health, but he died there in October 1822.

He was a Captain of the South-West Yorkshire yeomanry, and a governor of Wakefield Grammar School from 1811.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Henry Smyth

Preceded by Vicary Gibbs Henry Temple

Member of Parliament for Cambridge University 1812 (by-election) – 1822 With: Henry Temple

Succeeded by Henry Temple William John Bankes