William Osborne Smith

Who was William Osborne Smith?

Lieutenant-Colonel William Osborne Smith served as the first Acting Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, from 25 September to 17 October 1873.

Osborne Smith was born to W. H. Smith of Hendreowen, Wales. He was commissioned into the British Army's 39th Foot in 1855. He served in the Crimea and came to Canada with his regiment in 1856. He married Janet Colquhoun of Montreal in 1858. When his unit was transferred to Bermuda in 1859, Osborne Smith, then a Lieutenant, sold his commission and became a merchant in Montreal. He later became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Militia.

Osborne Smith carries the distinction of having the only regimental number that carries a fraction. His number was 2.5.

He returned to Wales and died in Swansea in 1887.