Richard Smith (East India Company officer)

Richard Smith
Born	bapt. 1734
Died	3 July 1803
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Brigadier-General
Commands held	Indian Army

Brigadier-General Richard Smith (bapt. 1734 – 3 July 1803) was Commander-in-Chief, India of the East Iindia Company (Bengal).

Military career

He was the eldest son of John Smith, cheesemonger, of Jermyn Street, St. James’s, Middlesex.

He served in India as an ensign in the Madras Army in 1752, rising to the rank of captain.^[1] In 1761 returned to London and became a prominent shareholder in the East India Company.^[1]

When he went out to India again in 1764 it was as Colonel of one of the East India Company's three brigades.^[1] In 1767 he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief, India.^[2] He was made Brigadier-General in 1768 before retiring in 1770.

In 1774 he went into politics as Member of Parliament for Hindon, later serving as MP for Wendover in 1780 and as MP for Wareham in 1790.^[1] He was appointed High Sheriff of Berkshire for 1779–80.^[3]

He lived at Chiltern Lodge near Hungerford in Berkshire.^[1] In 1756 he married Amelia Hopkins, the daughter of master mariner Captain Charles Hopkins, and together they went on to have one son (John Mansell Smith) and one daughter.^[1]

References

1. Richard Smith at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2. The Bengal almanac, for 1827, compiled by S. Smith and Co., Page XX
3. "SMITH, Richard (1734-1803), of Harley Street, Mdx. and Chilton Lodge, Hungerford, Berks.". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 29 June 2013.