William Smith was one of the leading Independent politicians of his day. Prevented from attaining the high offices of state both by his Dissenting Christian convictions - he became a Unitarian - and by his own desire to remain out of the limelight, Smith nevertheless played a leading role in most of the great contemporary parliamentary issues, including the repeal of Test and Corporation Acts and the abolition of slavery. A vast collection of his letters are kept by Cambridge University Library. Besides shedding light on Smith's own character, not least in the dark days of 1806, when he was rejected by the voters of Norwich, and 1819, when he faced financial ruin after the collapse of his business ventures, the collection also includes letters from his friends, among them Charles James Fox, William Wilberforce, and that staunch parliamentarian Sir Francis Burdett. Smith's initial sympathies with the revolutionary movement in France took him to Paris in 1790, where he witnessed and recorded his reactions to the politically-momentous 14 July celebrations.
He was also a patron of the Arts, particularly Cotman and Opie
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