View source for Ross Smith

'''Ross Smith''' (b. 1 May [[1815]], Mailand, [[Unst]], d. 6 July [[1887]], Edinburgh) was a watch and compass maker and [[Lerwick Town Council]]lor. Smith also had worked as a reporter for the ''Shetland Advertiser''.

==Biography==
His obituary in the Shetland Times noted that he was a great advocate for the waterworks scheme, and for moving the gasworks further away from residential areas than originally planned. He was a contributor to the Shetland Advertiser, an early newspaper in Shetland. He is described as one of Lerwick's first photographers, and politically moved from Liberal to Conservatism in his older age. The Shetland Times described this transition as "when his health began to fail and he lost some of his vigour, he drifted round to Conservatism".

James W. Irvine, in his book ''Lerwick: Birth and Growth of an Island Town'', notes that Smith was largely responsible for turning inaction into action regarding the building of the 'New Town' in Lerwick.

His son [[William Spence Smith|William]] was also a Lerwick Town councillor.
==Political Career==
*[[Lerwick Town Council Election September 1844]]
*[[Lerwick Town Council Election September 1847]]
*[[Lerwick Town Council Election September 1865]]
*[[Lerwick Town Council Election September 1868]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I10997&tree=ID1 Bayanne genealogy page]

[[Category:Lerwick Town Councillors]]
[[Category: 1815 Births]]
[[Category: 1887 Deaths]]