Niels C. Smidt

Niels C. Smidt was born in Denmark around 1879. He immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s.¹ During World War I, Smidt served for four years with the 8th Battalion of Winnipeg. After World War I, he worked in the White House for four years² According to an obituary, he was “appointed White House chef in 1921,” though there were few contemporary references to his work on staff.³
Throughout his career he worked as a chef at Canadian Hotels. He considered his greatest achievement cooking for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for their 1939 tour of Canada.⁴ During World War II, Smidt made headlines in Canada after he was denied from serving in Canada’s military on account of his age. Instead, he asked organizations to hire him as a cook to help the war effort, free of charge.⁵

Smidt died on February 10, 1958, and was buried in the Field of Honor at Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Vancouver, Canada.⁶