Tour Scotland 4K travel video, with Scottish music, of a Spring dreich road trip drive West down Perth Road in Dundee, Tayside, on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Invergowrie, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. William Forgan Smith was born on 15 April 1887 at Mynefield House, Invergowrie. His father was George Smith, the chief gardener at Airlie Castle. His mother was Mary, née Forgan. Forgan Smith was one of their seven children. He attended local schools before finishing at Dunoon Grammar School. After his schooling, Forgan Smith apprenticed himself to a painter and decorator in Glasgow. He took an early interest in politics, joined the Scottish Labour Party, probably influenced by his observations of the poor conditions in the Clydeside shipyards and other working class areas in Glasgow. Forgan Smith emigrated to Queensland, Australia, in 1912 hoping its warm climate would relieve a chronic bronchial condition. He was sponsored by a cousin in Mackay, where he settled, worked as a painter and decorator, and married a local farmer's daughter, Euphemia Effie Margaret Wilson, born 15 January 1913, died 12 October 1958. Forgan Smith became involved in trade unionism and Queenland Labor politics. Mackay was then the centre of the sugar industry in Queensland and sugar remained a major priority for Forgan Smith throughout his career. Despite the fact that he was only 28 and had been in Queensland only three years, he was pre-selected to run for the seat of Mackay in the 1915 election as the Labor candidate. The election saw a decisive victory for Labor under T. J. Ryan, and Forgan Smith won the seat and entered Parliament. Forgan Smith campaigned furiously in the lead up to the 1932 election, travelling broadly around the state. He was rewarded when he came into government, as Premier of Queenslnd with a seven seat majority. The first Queensland premier to make wide use of radio, Forgan Smith was an effective speaker, and he made a good impression on many of those who listened to him. Radio allowed him to reach a wider audience than he could otherwise have done, and he also travelled throughout the state, especially to turn the first sod on a new public works project. Though never flamboyant, and in fact somewhat dour in manner, he became respected and genuinely popular. With no overt antagonists inside his cabinet, he was able to depart of his own volition from the premiership, which he did on 16 September 1942, becoming Queensland's longest serving Premier. Three months later Forgan Smith resigned from parliament. For most of his remaining years Forgan Smith pursued his other interests, sugar and education. He became a member and then chairman of the Sugar Board and chairman of the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. Subsequently, he became the Chancellor of the University of Queensland in 1944, occupying this position until his death on 25 September 1953. Forgan Smith was accorded a State funeral, the procession moving from St Andrew's Presbyterian Church to his burial place at Toowong Cemetery. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. When driving on Scottish roads in Scotland slow down and enjoy the trip
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