View source for Prophet Smith

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[[Image:Psmith.jpg|thumb|right|Prophet Smith. Photo courtesy of the [[Shetland Museum and Archives]] ]]
'''Prophet James Laurence Smith''' (b. 23 October [[1909]], Ulsta, [[Yell]], d. 12 April [[1979]], [[Lerwick]]), was a seaman and a journeyman politician, standing for election in all four possible elected bodies: the UK Parliament, the [[Zetland County Council]], the [[Lerwick Town Council]] and lastly the [[Shetland Islands Council]].  He held elected positions in the latter three bodies at various points between 1944 and 1978.
==Biography==
Prophet became a seaman at an early age. There is a vivid anonymous account by him of his seagoing career in Peter Jamieson's ''Letters from Shetland'' (1949). 

He subsequently became an organiser for the National Union of Seamen in Lerwick, and later in Greenock. He returned to Shetland again as area organiser for the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society. He eventually became a full-time member of the Highlands and Islands Development Board, on its formation in 1965, responsible for its fisheries expansion programme. He served there for 11 years until his retrial.

Prophet Smith was the first Labour candidate in the Orkney and Shetland constituency, in [[1945]]. Despite finishing in third (last), he achieved a respectable 29% of the vote, falling just under 1,100 votes short of the winner, [[Basil Neven-Spence]]. That election also saw the first attempt by [[Jo Grimond]] at the Orkney and Shetland seat.

He was a [[County Councillor]] for [[Nesting (Constituency)|Nesting]] between [[1952]] and [[1955]] and [[Bressay (Constituency)|Bressay]] from [[1955]] to [[1960]]. He was County convener for four years. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for Nesting in [[1949]], and had a short spell as a [[Shetland Islands Council]] councillor after his retirement, representing Dunrossness, failing to be re-elected to the same seat in [[1978]]. He also briefly represented the [[Lerwick Town Council]] between November [[1944]] and February [[1945]].

His brother, [[James Smith (ii)|James]], was a [[Zetland County Council]]lor for Bressay from 1949 to 1955. 

He unsuccessfully contested the Nesting seat in the [[County_Council_Election_May_1949#Nesting_And_Lunnasting|1949 County Council election]] and Dunrossness North seat at the [[Shetland Islands Council Election May 1978|1978 Shetland Islands Council election]].
==Political Career==
===Westminster Parliament===
*[[1945 UK General Election, Orkney and Shetland Result|1945 UK General Election]]

===Shetland Islands Council===
*[[Dunrossness By-Election July 1977|1977 Dunrossness by-election]]

===Lerwick Town Council===
*[[Lerwick Town Council By-Election November 1944|1944 Lerwick Town Council by-election]]

===Zetland County Council===
*[[County Council Election May 1949|1949 County Council election]]
*[[County Council Election May 1952|1952 County Council election]]
*[[County Council Election May 1955|1955 County Council election]]
*[[County Council Election May 1958|1958 County Council election]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I139644&tree=ID1 Bayanne genealogy page]

{{Conveners|Preceded by<br>'''[[William Thomson (i)|William Thomson]]'''|'''Convener of the<br>[[Zetland County Council]]'''<br>1955-1960|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Tom Henderson]]'''}}{{Template:ZCCConveners}}{{CountyCouncillors2|Preceded by<br>'''[[John Pearson (ii)|John Pearson]]'''|'''Member for<br>[[Nesting (Constituency)|Nesting]]'''<br>1952-1955|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Hamilton]]'''|Preceded by<br>'''[[James Smith (ii)|James Smith]]'''|'''Member for<br>[[Bressay (Constituency)|Bressay]]'''<br>1955-1960|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Smith (ii)|John Smith]]'''}}{{Template:BressayZCC}}{{Template:NestingZCC}}{{SICouncillors|Preceded by<br>'''[[James Leask]]'''|'''Member for<br>[[Dunrossness (Constituency)|Dunrossness]]'''<br>1977-1978|'''Constituency abolished'''}}

[[Category:Lerwick Town Councillors]]
[[Category:Shetland Islands Councillors]]
[[Category:Zetland County Councillors]]
[[Category: 1909 Births]]
[[Category: 1979 Deaths]]