Jacob William Smith (c. 1816 – 21 December 1891) was a ship's captain who served as Mayor and Member of Parliament for Port Adelaide in the colony of South Australia.
He subsequently commanded a number of ships of the Duncan Dunbar line, and earned a high reputation and made rapid progress through the ranks of the company.
He made, as captain of the David Malcolm, a splendid barque of 538 tons, three trips bringing migrants from London to Adelaide : in January 1847, March 1848, and April 1849.
[1] For a time he owned the brig Lord Montgomery, then in August 1853 purchased the barque Templeton, which traded between Adelaide and Melbourne during the Ballarat gold rush.
He was a splendid leader, but a poor follower, and at the Marine Board ensured his dissenting voice was recorded when any matter aroused his opposition.