William Lethbridge

William Lethbridge, 1825–1901, after whom the City of Lethbridge was named.

William Lethbridge (1825–1901) was a lawyer in England. When bookseller W H Smith owner William Henry Smith II decided to become involved in politics in 1864, he enlisted Lethbridge as a managing partner of WH Smith.[1] He sat for a portrait by Frederick Sandys (1829-1904) in 1882 (see illustration).

Lethbridge was the first president of North Western Coal and Navigation Company, a mining company based out of Lethbridge, Alberta, in 1882. The city of Lethbridge was named after him,[1] by Alexander Tilloch Galt in an effort to convince him to invest in the new company. However, Lethbridge never went to Canada.

References

  1. ^ a b "William Lethbridge". Galt Museum & Archives. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2025.