Edward Metcalf "Ironsand” Smith lived an active life. A gunsmith, entrepreneur and politician, Smith was best known for his tireless efforts to build a sustainable ironsand smelting industry in New Plymouth. In the mid 1870s he established a smelter at Te Henui, but the venture was never commercially viable. It closed in 1881. He entered politics during the 1880s and was finally elected as MHR for Taranaki in 1890. He used this Gladstone bag while on parliamentary duties and its battered condition suggests he covered plenty of miles during that time. The energetic Smith held the seat, except during the 1896-1899 term, until he died in a railway accident in 1907.