Author: Samuel Smiles

Samuel Smiles was one of the most famous proponents of the capitalist ethic. Smiles was born on 23 December, 1812, the eldest of eleven children. His father was a papermaker and general merchant in Haddington, Scotland. After attending the local school in Haddington, he left at age fourteen and joined Dr. Robert Lewins as an apprentice and eventually attended Edinburgh University where he received his medical degree in 1832. While in Edinburgh, however, Smiles also became involved in the campaign for parliamentary reform and published several articles on the subject in the progressive Edinburgh Weekly Chronicle. After the completion of his studies, Smiles returned to Haddington and found work as a doctor, but he continued to take a close interest in politics.