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.

On the voyage to America he read Henry George's book, Progress and Poverty which introduced him to Georgist ideas.

[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.