John Hope Smith (died 15 March 1831) was an English Colonial Head of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) as Governor of the from 19 January 1817 until 27 March 1822. "Respectably born and educated", John Hope Smith, aged fourteen, was placed by his father as a writer at Cape Coast Castle. He was appointed to be Governor in Chief of the Gold Coast aged 30. During his reign at Cape Coast Castle, the biggest fort in Fante territory, two missions of the Company of Merchants trading to Africa to Asante have been dispatched. He thought the castle could be a protective force against Ashanti, while the two diplomats sent, Thomas Edward Bowdich 1817 and Joseph Dupuis 1821 thought otherwise. Disagreements with Charles MacCarthy led to his resignation. A cold caught in Paris led to his early death aged forty