The son of Albert George Smellie and Jessie May Cummings,[2] Smellie was born in Russell, was educated at Brandon College and the Manitoba Law School, and worked as a barrister at law before entering politics. He served in the Canadian Army with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles during World War II and was a member of the Canadian Legion and of the Manitoba Travel and Convention Association.[3] In 1946, Smellie married Lois Evelyn Cochrane.[2] He was originally a supporter of the Liberal-Progressives, but was drafted by Dufferin Roblin to join the Progressive Conservatives in the mid-1950s.[4]
After his defeat, Smellie served chair of the Manitoba Local Boundaries Commission.[3] This group produced a report on Winnipeg's internal boundaries in 1970, but its findings were superseded by the creation of a unicity the following year. After he retired from the practice of law, he served as chairman of the Municipal Board of Manitoba. Smellie died in 2005.[3]