John Stuart

Sir John Stuart (1793 – 29 October 1876) was a British Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1852, before becoming a judge.

Early life Stuart was the son of Dugald Stuart, of Ballachulish in Argyll. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in November 1819. The borough was at that time under the patronage of the Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, and the 4th Duke was a staunch Conservative and protectionist. The hustings took place in the town square of Newark in heavy rain on the morning of 29 January 1846, where Stuart spoke in favour of protection for agriculture and for industry. Since no other candidate was proposed, Stuart was nominated and promptly declared elected.

At the 1852 general election he did not stand again in Newark. Stuart was elected instead for the borough of Bury St Edmunds. He resigned that seat later the same year to take up the post of Vice Chancellor (i.e. a judge of the Court of Chancery). He succeeded James Parker, who had died, after some speculation. Earlier that year Stuart had refused the post of Solicitor General in Lord Derby's new government, and was reported to be indignant that he was not appointed Lord Chancellor. Whilst he was reported by The Times to be eminently qualified for the role, it was suggested that his Ultra-Toryism and opposition to reform of Chancery would make his appointment unpopular. and sat as a judge until 1871, when he retired on a pension and was sworn as member of the Privy Council. "I aspire to greater things"