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Sydney Smith, Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral from 1831 to his death in 1845, achieved much of his literary reputation as a founder of and longtime contributor to the Edinburgh Review. A Church of England clergyman who supported the liberal Whig ideals of the period, he was known for writings in the Review that were laced with wit and sarcasm, often directed at the political leaders of the day but always focusing on the issues under discussion. As a member of the Whig social circle, he was constantly in demand as a dinner guest for the wit and humor he brought to a gathering. In describing Smith's mark on English Whig society of the early nineteenth century, Sheldon Halpern, in Sydney Smith (1966), says that "almost every memoir, diary, or collection of correspondence from the first half of the nineteenth century contains descriptions of Smith's humor or quotations of his wit."
Sydney Smith was born at Woodford, Essex, the second son of Robert and Maria Olier Smith.
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