Horace Smith (poet)

Horace Smith
Portrait of Horace Smith by an unknown artist watercolour, circa 1840
Born(1779-12-31)31 December 1779
London
Died12 July 1849(1849-07-12) (aged 69)
Tunbridge Wells
OccupationPoet, novelist
Literary movementRomanticism

Horace (born Horatio) Smith (31 December 1779 – 12 July 1849) was an English poet and novelist. In 1818, he participated in a sonnet-writing competition with Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was of Smith that Shelley said: "Is it not odd that the only truly generous person I ever knew who had money enough to be generous with should be a stockbroker? He writes poetry and pastoral dramas and yet knows how to make money, and does make it, and is still generous."