Francis Smith (Australian politician)
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Sir Francis Villeneuve Smith (born England 13 February 1819; died England 17 January 1909) was the Premier of Tasmania from 12 May 1857 until 1 November 1860.
He was born the eldest son of Francis Smith; a merchant in London. He was educated in London specialising in law.
In 1851 he became a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council and soon after became Attorney-General. He was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1856. He was Attorney General in William Champ's first ministry from 1 November 1856 until 26 February 1857. When William Weston's ministry (1857) collapsed he proceeded to form his own with himself as Premier and Attorney General, he held office for three years until 1860 he was the first Premier of Tasmania to hold office for more than one year.
He represented the now defunct Electorate of Fingal. He was also chief justice of Tasmania.
| Preceded by William Weston |
Premier of Tasmania 1857-1860 |
Succeeded by William Weston |
| Premiers of Tasmania |  |
|---|---|
| Champ | Gregson | Weston | Smith | Chapman | Whyte | Dry | Wilson | Innes | Kennerley | Reibey | Fysh | Giblin | Crowther | Douglas | Agnew | Dobson | Braddon | E. Lewis | Propsting | Evans | Earle | Solomon | Lee | Hayes | Lyons | McPhee | Ogilvie | Dwyer-Gray | Cosgrove | Brooker | Reece | Bethune | Neilson | Lowe | Holgate | Gray | Field | Groom | Rundle | Bacon | Lennon | |
