William Smithe

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**William Smithe**
7th Premier of British Columbia
Hon. William Smithe
In office January 29, 1883 – March 29, 1887
Preceded by	Robert Beaven
Succeeded by	Alexander Edmund Batson Davie

Born	June 30, 1842 Matfen, England
Died	March 28, 1887 Victoria, British Columbia
Political party	None

William Smithe (Matfen June 30, 1842 – March 28, 1887 Victoria, British Columbia) was a British Columbia politician.

Smithe was born William Smith in England and moved to Canada in his youth, settling on Vancouver Island in 1862 as a farmer. In 1871 he ran in BC's first election and won a seat in the new provincial legislature. There he added the final "e" to his name, probably to distinguish himself as clearly as possible from the colorful figure of Amor De Cosmos. De Cosmos, also then a member of the legislature, had likewise been born as "William Smith," but in a characteristically grand gesture had legally adopted instead a new name meaning "Love of the Universe."

By 1875 Smithe had become the informal leader of the opposition to Premier George Anthony Walkem's government, but yielded the leadership to Andrew Charles Elliott. Smithe was in Elliott's short lived cabinet from 1876 to 1878 before returning to the opposition benches and again became opposition leader.

In 1883, Smithe became premier of British Columbia and initiated the Great Potlatch era in which governments made generous grants of public resources and land to private entrepreneurs. He also settled disputes with the federal government which had stalled the construction of the trans-continental Canadian Pacific Railway. Asked on one occasion whether he thought British Columbia should be annexed to the United States, he suggested instead that Washington and Oregon be annexed to British Columbia. Smithe remained premier until he died in office in 1887.