Frank Smith (British politician)

Francis Samuel Smith (1854 – 26 December 1940) was a British newspaper editor and Christian socialist politician, who contested a large number of elections before finally winning a parliamentary seat in his mid-70s.

In 1884 he moved to the United States to quell a secessionist movement among the Salvationists there, then returned to the UK as the first leader of the Social Wing of the Salvation Army.

[2] He became a founding member of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), and was its first parliamentary candidate, at the 1894 Sheffield Attercliffe by-election.

[4] Smith also stood in Glasgow Tradeston at the 1895 general election,[3] in the meantime involving himself in spiritualism and the Brotherhood Movement, emphasising that, for him, socialism was entirely compatible with religion.

[2] Despite already being 74 years old,[1] he acted as Parliamentary Private Secretary to George Lansbury from October 1930,[3] but lost his seat at the 1931 general election.