William Wensley Smith
Encyclopedia
William Wensley Smith was a Canadian who founded W.W. Smith Insurance Ltd., one of the oldest insurance
brokerages in Saskatchewan
, Canada
. It is located in the city of Swift Current
, where it had its beginnings almost 100 years ago.
When William Wensley Smith, an Englishman from Woolwich
, immigrated to Canada
in 1903 as a teenager, he didn't have much more than the shirt on his back and a few shillings in his pocket. However, he did have a letter of introduction from his pastor, vouching for him as a hard-working fellow of good character. Smith used that letter to get started in his new, adopted homeland, and eventually became very successful in life and business.
William Wensley Smith, or WW as he was better known, worked as a farm labourer in Manitoba
before settling in Qu'Appelle
, Saskatchewan, where he spent a few years as an employee in a general store. From there he made his way to Regina
, where he worked in the life insurance business with the Confederation Life Association. Smith arrived in Swift Current in 1913, just a year before it was incorporated as a city. It was a unique time in Saskatchewan’s history. Agriculture was very dominant, and the period was marked by rapid population growth, surpassing neighbouring Alberta
during the 1920s.
When he arrived in Swift Current, Smith formed a partnership with an acquaintance, Alexander Wallace, and the two became official agents of Confederation Life. Their company, known then as Wallace & Smith, later expanded into buying and selling real estate
.
In 1914, Smith married Islay Fyffe, the daughter of a staff sergeant in the North-West Mounted Police
, and they eventually had four children: Elizabeth, Jack, William Jr., and Jerry. They settled into one of Swift Current’s finest homes. In 1920, Smith’s association with Wallace ended, and Smith partnered with John Paisley to establish W.W. Smith Agency, a general insurance agency.
The company continued to offer life insurance, and also became an agent for a Winnipeg-based savings and loan association
, later representing the Crescent Finance Corporation of Saskatoon, specializing in farming loans. "Through the loan business, he gave lots of people their start around here”, said Gord Smith, Smith's grandson. According to Jerry Smith, W.W. Smith was an outstanding life insurance salesman and one of the top agents in the area: "He sold a million dollars worth of life insurance at one point during the 1920s, which was quite a feat at the time". Smith remembers his father as very friendly and someone who genuinely liked people. He’d go out of his way to meet them. "During the later years, when I joined the firm, he liked to stand outside the office and greet everybody...and he never really retired, he just slowed up a bit."
In the 1920s, he served four years as an alderman
and later became Swift Current’s mayor
for two years. In 1929, the year of the stock market crash and the advent of the Depression
, Smith moved up the political ladder. He was elected
to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
as a Conservative
member. "He was known as Machine-Gun Smith in the legislature for his rapid-fire speaking style", Gord Smith said. Smith served in the government of James Thomas Milton Anderson
during a time of severe economic hardship, social upheaval, and bitter political rivalries. Drought brought the province to its knees, striking a severe blow to agriculture.
Smith was passionate about the outdoors and enjoyed hunting upland game birds. In 1931, he helped persuade the government to create and fund the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
, located almost next door to Swift Current. Today, the park is a destination point for tourists and campers.
Cypress Hills, which straddles the Alberta
-Saskatchewan border and is the highest point between Labrador
and the Rocky Mountains
, is an area similar to that of the Black Hills of South Dakota
, where prairie
suddenly meets pine
. There are small lakes, streams, and majestic, soaring hills. It became Canada’s only interprovincial park when space in Alberta was designated as parkland in the 1950s, and is adjacent to historic Fort Walsh, the Northwest Mounted Police post established in 1878.
William Wensley Smith died in 1955 at the age of 67. A diabetic, the illness probably shortened his life. His wife Islay survived him for another 30 years. She died in 1985, at the age of 94.
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
brokerages in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located in the city of Swift Current
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Swift Current is a small city in southwest Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west from Moose Jaw, and east from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 0.8% between 2001 and 2006 ending up at 14,946 residents. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Swift...
, where it had its beginnings almost 100 years ago.
When William Wensley Smith, an Englishman from Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, immigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1903 as a teenager, he didn't have much more than the shirt on his back and a few shillings in his pocket. However, he did have a letter of introduction from his pastor, vouching for him as a hard-working fellow of good character. Smith used that letter to get started in his new, adopted homeland, and eventually became very successful in life and business.
William Wensley Smith, or WW as he was better known, worked as a farm labourer in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
before settling in Qu'Appelle
Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan
Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, is a small village and formerly in ecclesiastical terms a city, with considerable historic significance located on Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline, some east of the provincial capital of Regina.Qu'Appelle was for a time the terminus of the...
, Saskatchewan, where he spent a few years as an employee in a general store. From there he made his way to Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, where he worked in the life insurance business with the Confederation Life Association. Smith arrived in Swift Current in 1913, just a year before it was incorporated as a city. It was a unique time in Saskatchewan’s history. Agriculture was very dominant, and the period was marked by rapid population growth, surpassing neighbouring Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
during the 1920s.
When he arrived in Swift Current, Smith formed a partnership with an acquaintance, Alexander Wallace, and the two became official agents of Confederation Life. Their company, known then as Wallace & Smith, later expanded into buying and selling real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
In 1914, Smith married Islay Fyffe, the daughter of a staff sergeant in the North-West Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, and they eventually had four children: Elizabeth, Jack, William Jr., and Jerry. They settled into one of Swift Current’s finest homes. In 1920, Smith’s association with Wallace ended, and Smith partnered with John Paisley to establish W.W. Smith Agency, a general insurance agency.
The company continued to offer life insurance, and also became an agent for a Winnipeg-based savings and loan association
Savings and loan association
A savings and loan association , also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans...
, later representing the Crescent Finance Corporation of Saskatoon, specializing in farming loans. "Through the loan business, he gave lots of people their start around here”, said Gord Smith, Smith's grandson. According to Jerry Smith, W.W. Smith was an outstanding life insurance salesman and one of the top agents in the area: "He sold a million dollars worth of life insurance at one point during the 1920s, which was quite a feat at the time". Smith remembers his father as very friendly and someone who genuinely liked people. He’d go out of his way to meet them. "During the later years, when I joined the firm, he liked to stand outside the office and greet everybody...and he never really retired, he just slowed up a bit."
In the 1920s, he served four years as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and later became Swift Current’s mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
for two years. In 1929, the year of the stock market crash and the advent of the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Smith moved up the political ladder. He was elected
Saskatchewan general election, 1929
The Saskatchewan general election of 1929 was the seventh provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on June 6, 1929 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The 25th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was in power from 2003 until November 20, 2007. It was controlled by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party under premier Lorne Calvert.-Members:-By-elections:...
as a Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a right-of-centre political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories....
member. "He was known as Machine-Gun Smith in the legislature for his rapid-fire speaking style", Gord Smith said. Smith served in the government of James Thomas Milton Anderson
James Thomas Milton Anderson
James Thomas Milton Anderson was Saskatchewan's fifth Premier and the first Conservative to hold the office....
during a time of severe economic hardship, social upheaval, and bitter political rivalries. Drought brought the province to its knees, striking a severe blow to agriculture.
Smith was passionate about the outdoors and enjoyed hunting upland game birds. In 1931, he helped persuade the government to create and fund the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is an interprovincial park straddling the southern Alberta-Saskatchewan border, located southeast of Medicine Hat...
, located almost next door to Swift Current. Today, the park is a destination point for tourists and campers.
Cypress Hills, which straddles the Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
-Saskatchewan border and is the highest point between Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
and the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, is an area similar to that of the Black Hills of South Dakota
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
, where prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
suddenly meets pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
. There are small lakes, streams, and majestic, soaring hills. It became Canada’s only interprovincial park when space in Alberta was designated as parkland in the 1950s, and is adjacent to historic Fort Walsh, the Northwest Mounted Police post established in 1878.
William Wensley Smith died in 1955 at the age of 67. A diabetic, the illness probably shortened his life. His wife Islay survived him for another 30 years. She died in 1985, at the age of 94.