author
J. B. (John Benjamin) Smith
1794–1879
A Manchester cotton merchant turned reform-minded politician, he became a leading voice in the fight against the Corn Laws and spent decades in Parliament. He is also remembered as an eyewitness to the Peterloo Massacre, linking him to one of the most charged moments in 19th-century British political history.
1 Audiobook
Three Accounts of Peterloo by Eyewitnesses Bishop Stanley, Lord Hylton, John Benjamin Smith; with Bishop Stanley's Evidence at the Trial
by 1st Baron Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe Hylton, J. B. (John Benjamin) Smith, Edward Stanley
About the author
Born on 7 February 1794, he built his career in Manchester as a cotton merchant before moving deeply into public life. Contemporary records describe him as both a merchant and an MP, and he became a prominent figure in the city’s commercial and political world.
He is best known as an early leader of the Anti-Corn Law movement, serving as the first president or chairman of the Anti-Corn Law League in Manchester. He was also connected with the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and later served as a Liberal member of Parliament from 1847 to 1874, including many years representing Stockport.
Smith was present at the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, which gives his life a direct connection to one of the defining struggles over political reform in Britain. He died on 15 September 1879. I could not confirm from the sources found that he was primarily known as a literary author, so this overview focuses on his public life and historical importance.