View source for George Isaac Smith

{{Short description|Premier of Nova Scotia from 1967 to 1970}}
{{Other people|George Smith}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    =  
| name                = George Isaac Smith
| honorific-suffix    = [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
| image               = George Isaac Smith portrait.jpg
| caption             = Smith, {{circa|1970}}
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1909|4|6}}
| birth_place         = [[Stewiacke, Nova Scotia]], Canada
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1982|12|19|1909|4|6}}
| death_place         = [[Truro, Nova Scotia]], Canada
| office              = 18th [[Premier of Nova Scotia]]
| term_start          = September 13, 1967
| term_end            = October 28, 1970
| monarch             = [[Elizabeth II]]
| lieutenant_governor = [[Henry Poole MacKeen|Henry P. MacKeen]]<br>[[Victor de Bedia Oland|Victor deB. Oland]]
| predecessor         = [[Robert Stanfield]]
| successor           = [[Gerald Regan]]
| office2             = [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly|MLA]] for [[Colchester (provincial electoral district)|Colchester]]
| term_start2         = June 9, 1949
| term_end2           = April 2, 1974
| predecessor2        = [[Gordon Purdy]]<br> [[Robert F. McLellan]]
| successor2          = [[Melinda MacLean]]<br> [[Floyd Tucker]]
| alongside2          = [[Robert Stanfield]], [[Gerald Ritcey]]
| office3             = [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for Colchester
| term_start3         = August 7, 1975
| term_end3           = December 19, 1982
| appointed3          = [[Pierre Trudeau]]
| religion            = 
| occupation          = lawyer 
| party               = [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|Progressive Conservative]] 
| spouse              = 
}}

'''George Isaac Smith''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (April 6, 1909 &ndash; December 19, 1982) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] lawyer and politician who served as the 18th [[premier of Nova Scotia]] from 1967 to 1970. He was a Canadian senator from 1975 until his death. G.I. Smith is noted for having recruited [[Robert Stanfield]] to help rebuild and lead the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|Progressive Conservatives]] in [[Nova Scotia]]. While premier he brought Michelin Tire, still Nova Scotia's biggest employer, to the province. He established the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, and had the government take over Sydney Steel Corporation when its corporate owners quit the industry. His government also established the affordable housing community of Lower Sackville.

Earlier in his ministerial years, as highways minister (1956–62) he built the Bicentennial Highway and paved many miles of roads throughout the province. As finance and economics minister (1962–67)  He was most noted for creating the Voluntary Economic Planning organization through which, business labour and community and academic leaders worked to develop economic plans for the province.

Smith also worked with Premier Stanfield and cabinet colleagues to create Industrial Estates Limited, a body designed to attract industry to Nova Scotia.

==Biography==
Born in [[Stewiacke|Stewiacke, Nova Scotia]] on April 6, 1909 to Major John Robert Smith and Susan Ettinger Coulter. Educated at Stewiacke School and Colchester County Academy, Truro.   He then attended Dalhousie University and graduated  with  LLB in 1932.  He became Stewiacke town  solicitor and Town Clerk.  A few years later he joined with Tatamagouche native, and former Yarmouth federal Conservative candidate, Frank Patterson to establish a Truro Law  firm Patterson Smith, where he practiced law in [[Truro, Nova Scotia|Truro]].<ref>{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=11179|nolist=yes}}</ref>  He served overseas in the [[North Nova Scotia Highlanders]] during [[World War II]] and was [[mentioned in dispatches]], and ended up with rank of Lt. Colonel and was commanding officer of the regiment.<ref>[http://www.parl.ns.ca/highlanders/articleshtml/majorsmith.html ''Now Lieutenant Colonel, Major George Isaac Smith'', Newspaper clipping, The North Nova Scotia Highlanders]</ref>

Smith was elected as a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) for Colchester County in 1949<ref>{{cite news|title=N.S. re-elects Liberals, PC's gain eight seats|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 10, 1949}}</ref> and served until 1974. He  joined  Robert Stanfield's cabinet when the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Tories]] formed government in 1956.<ref>{{cite news|title=N.S. Premier names cabinet of 8 men|work=The Globe and Mail|date=November 21, 1956}}</ref> In 1967 when Stanfield left to become National PC leader, he made it clear that he  would only do so if Smith would agree to succeed him as Premier of Nova Scotia.

Smith's government was defeated by the [[Nova Scotia Liberal Party|Liberals]] in 1970<ref>{{cite news|title=PCs rebuffed, Liberals surge to N.S. victory|work=The Globe and Mail|date=October 14, 1970}}</ref> and Smith resigned as party leader the next year.<ref>{{cite news|title=N.S. Tories to pick leader at March rally|work=The Globe and Mail|date=January 11, 1971}}</ref> In 1975 he was summoned to the [[Senate of Canada]] by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and represented the senatorial division of Colchester, Nova Scotia. In the Senate Smith was a vigorous advocate of equalization payments and fair treatment of all provinces.

Smith died in office in Truro, Nova Scotia on December 19, 1982.

In 1938, Smith married Law Firm Secretary Sally Archibald of Truro. Together they had three children John Robert (Rob), Ruby Alison and George Isaac.  Sally Smith died on March 26, 2011, her 95th birthday.  Youngest Son George died on Christmas Day 2012, age 58.

==See also==
*[[List of political parties in Canada]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/Elections%20from%201867-2011.pdf Summary Results from 1867 to 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003090711/http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/Elections%20from%201867-2011.pdf |date=2013-10-03 }}

{{NSPremiers}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Canada|Nova Scotia|Politics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, George I}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Canadian people of British descent]]
[[Category:Canadian Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:Lawyers in Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs]]
[[Category:People from Colchester County]]
[[Category:Premiers of Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian lawyers]]
[[Category:Nova Scotia political party leaders]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]
[[Category:Schulich School of Law alumni]]