George Paton Smith arrived in the colony of Victoria in 1855 and worked initially as a draper in Sandhurst (later Bendigo). He then moved to Melbourne and studied law while also being employed as a reporter, first for the Argus, and then as editor of the Leader. He later became sub-editor and, briefly, editor of the Melbourne Age.
In an obituary in the Bendigo Advertiser, Smith is described as 'an exceedingly able and very trenchant writer, and there can be no doubt that the mark left by him – and as is not to be forgotten, by his predecessor Mr. Ebenezer Syme – gave a character to the Age newspaper, which ensured its success' (7 December 1877: 2).
Smith was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1861 and was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1865. He represented South Bourke and, in the 1870s, Boorondara. Smith served as Attorney General during James McCulloch's premiership.
Smith became a further subject of the news in May 1870 when the Irish patriot and poet, and former Age journalist, Gerald Henry Supple shot at Smith in La Trobe Street, Melbourne. Supple was apparently offended by Smith's treatment of the Irish in the newspaper. While Smith was only slightly injured, a bystander was killed in the attack. Supple was sentenced to death for the murder. This was later commuted to life imprisonment and Supple was released from Pentridge gaol following Smith's death.
