Obituary Played key roll in Northgate growth

A lawyer who became a top mining executive playing a key role in the growth of Northgate Exploration into a senior international mining company, George T. Smith, died in Toronto on Jan 29 at the age of 57.

Mr Smith was born into a mining family at Haileybury where his grandfather, at the start of the great silver boom there in 1902, became the first mining recorder in northern Ontario. Indeed the young George Smith started working for mining companies during the summer months in that area at the age of 14.

Educated in the public and high schools at Haileybury, he went on to study at the University of Toronto where he graduated with a B.A.Sc. degree in mining in 1952 and then on to graduate from the Osgoode Hall Law School, being called to the bar in 1956.

He practised the legal profession for the next six years before joining the Northgate organization (at the age of 33) just after that company’s exciting base metals discovery in Ireland, as a strong member of an aggressive team that nurtured that company from a junior exploration firm into an impor tant producer with widespread interests.

The following eight years saw him moving to the presidency of Camflo Mines, Siscoe Mines, Martin-McNeeley Mines, Mymar Mining & Reduction and to the vice-presidency of Cons. Morrison Explorations and Chesbar Iron Powder Ltd. He also served on the board of directors of such companies as Cons. Canadian Faraday, Lacanex Mining and The Granby Mining Co.