William Henry Smith

Born the son of Henry Walton Smith and Anna Eastaugh, William Henry Smith was brought up by his mother following the death of his father when he was only a few weeks old. His parents established a news vendor in Little Grosvenor Street, London, the precursor of W H Smith in 1792.

In 1812, following the death of Zaccheus Coates, a business associate of his mother, he went into the family business in partnership with his mother and his brother. In 1816 his mother died and the business was equally divided between him and his brother Henry Edward Smith. William proved the more capable businessman of the two, and the firm became known as W H Smith. After his father's death, the business was valued at £1,280 (about ~£54731 in 2012, adjusted by inflation).

In 1846, he admitted his son as a partner, and the firm became W H Smith & Son. Book stalls at railway stations proved an especially successful endeavour.

In 1817, William Henry married Mary Ann Cooper, a rigorous practitioner of Wesley's Protestantism: they married at St George's, Hanover Square and eventually they had eight children: seven girls, and one boy, who was also named William Henry Smith.