Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Smith, William Saumarez
SMITH, WILLIAM SAUMAREZ (1836–1909), archbishop of Sydney, born at St. Helier's, Jersey, on 14 Jan. 1836, was son of Richard Snowden Smith, prebendary of Chichester, by his wife Anne, daughter of Thomas Robin of Jersey. He entered Marlborough College in 1846, and obtained a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1855. In 1857 he won the Carus Greek Testament (undergraduate's) prize; in 1858 he graduated B.A. (first class, classical tripos); in 1859 was placed in the first class (middle bachelors) of the theological examination, won the Scholefield prize, the Carus Greek Testament (bachelor's) prize, and Crosse scholarship. In 1860 he won the Tyrwhitt Hebrew scholarship and was elected fellow of his college. He proceeded M.A. in 1862, and won the Seatonian prize for an English sacred poem in 1864 and 1866.
Ordained deacon in 1859, priest in 1860, he was curate of St. Paul's, Cambridge (1859–61). In 1861 he went out to India as chaplain to Frederick Gell, bishop of Madras, and remained there till 1865, learning Tamil, and associating himself with missionary work. Returning to Cambridge as curate of Trumpington (1866), he became vicar there in 1867, and was awarded the Maitland prize for an essay on ‘Obstacles to Missionary Success.’ In 1869 he accepted the principalship of St. Aidan's, Birkenhead, a theological college then at a low ebb. He raised it to prosperity, wiping out a heavy debt and creating an endowment fund. He also served from 1869 to 1890 as examining chaplain to the bishop of Norwich, and in 1880 was made hon. canon of Chester. In 1889, on the retirement of Bishop Alfred Barry [q. v. Suppl. II] from the see of Sydney, Smith was elected his successor by the Australian bishops when nomination had been declined by Handley Carr Glyn Moule, afterwards bishop of Durham. He was consecrated at St. Paul's Cathedral on 24 June 1890. He was made D.D. at Cambridge in that year and at Oxford in 1897. As metropolitan of New South Wales and primate of Australia, Smith, with the approval of the Lambeth conference, assumed in 1897 the title of archbishop. His Austrahan rule was useful rather than eventful. An evangelical of wide sympathies, a hard worker, and a firm though kind administrator, he died at Sydney on 18 April 1909.
Smith married in 1870 Florence, daughter of Lewis Deedes, rector of Braintfield, Hertfordshire; she died in 1890, leaving one son and seven daughters. Smith was a contributor of biblical articles to the 'Encyclopædia Britannica' (8th edit.) and published : 1. 'Obstacles to Missionary Success' (Maitland prize essay), 1868. 2. 'Christian Faith: Five Sermons preached before the University of Cambridge,' 1869. 3. 'Lessons on the Book of Genesis,' 1879. 4. 'The Blood of the Covenant,' 1889. A posthumous volume, 'Capernaum and other Poems,' appeared in 1911.
[Record, 23 and 30 April 1909; Guardian, 21 April 1909; Cambridge University Calendar; personal knowledge.]