John Smith (Labour Party leader)

The Right Honourable John Smith QC
Smith, c. 1992–1994
Leader of the Opposition
In office 18 July 1992 – 12 May 1994
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Neil Kinnock
Succeeded by	Margaret Beckett
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 18 July 1992 – 12 May 1994
Deputy	Margaret Beckett
Preceded by	Neil Kinnock
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Shadow portfolios 1987–1992 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1984–1987 Trade and Industry 1983–1984 Employment 1982–1983 Energy 1979–1982 Trade
Secretary of State for Trade
In office 11 November 1978 – 4 May 1979
Prime Minister	James Callaghan
Preceded by	Edmund Dell
Succeeded by	John Nott
Minister of State for the Privy Council
In office 8 April 1976 – 11 November 1978
Prime Minister	James Callaghan
Preceded by	The Lord Crowther-Hunt
Succeeded by	The Baroness Birk
Minister of State for Energy
In office 4 December 1975 – 8 April 1976
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	The Lord Balogh
Succeeded by	Dickson Mabon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy
In office 18 October 1974 – 4 December 1975
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Gavin Strang
Succeeded by	The Lord Lovell-Davis
Member of Parliament for Monklands East North Lanarkshire (1970–1983)
In office 18 June 1970 – 12 May 1994
Preceded by	Margaret Herbison
Succeeded by	Helen Liddell
Personal details
Born	(1938-09-13)13 September 1938 Dalmally, Argyll, Scotland
Died	12 May 1994(1994-05-12) (aged 55) London, England
Resting place	Reilig Odhráin, Iona, Scotland
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Elizabeth Bennett ​ (m. 1967)​
Children	3, including Sarah
Education	Dunoon Grammar School
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Signature

John Smith QC (13 September 1938 – 12 May 1994) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his death from a heart attack in May 1994. He was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Monklands East.

Smith first entered Parliament in 1970 and, following junior ministerial roles as Minister of State for Energy (1975–1976) and Minister of State for the Privy Council Office (1976–1978), he entered the Cabinet towards the end of James Callaghan's tenure as Prime Minister, serving as Secretary of State for Trade and President of the Board of Trade (1978–1979). During Labour's time in Opposition to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, he rose through the Shadow Cabinet, serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade (1979–1982), Shadow Secretary of State for Energy (1982–1983), Shadow Secretary of State for Employment (1983–1984), Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1984–1987) and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (1987–1992).

After Labour leader Neil Kinnock resigned following the Party's surprise loss in the 1992 general election to new Conservative leader John Major, Smith was elected his successor in July 1992. He continued Kinnock's moves to reform Labour, abolishing the trade union block vote at Labour party conferences and replacing it with "one member, one vote" at the 1993 party conference. However, his overall cautious approach to reform, which was dubbed "one more heave", sought to avoid controversy and win the next election by capitalising on the unpopularity of the Conservative government. This frustrated Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as well as Peter Mandelson.

Following Smith's sudden death in May 1994, he was succeeded as leader by Blair, who led the party to victory at the next general election in 1997.