John Wesley Stewart

John Wesley Stewart (June 1, 1822 – September 7, 1899) was an American lawyer, banker, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Green County during the 1860 and 1861 sessions. Before Wisconsin's statehood, he served in the lower house of the 5th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly. Later in life, he was active in Chicago politics, and was chairman of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1880. His name was often abbreviated as .

Early life and education John W. Stewart was born in Vincennes, Indiana, in June 1822. Due to his father's ministry, he traveled frequently during his childhood around southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. At age 12, he went to work as an apprentice in the office of the Times newspaper in Troy, Ohio. He worked there for two years before returning to his education, attending the preparatory course at Ohio University, then attending Augusta College in Augusta, Kentucky, for three years.

Wisconsin career In the Spring of 1841, he traveled west to the Wisconsin Territory, taking a steamboat down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River, then up to Prairie du Chien. He arrived on March 4, 1841, to booming fanfare, due to the coincidence of William Henry Harrison's inauguration as president that day. After arriving at Prairie du Chien, he quickly made new acquaintances. He moved to the nearby town of Lancaster, where he went to work in the law offices of Barber & Dewey to study law. With the assistance of Barber and Dewey, he was appointed deputy clerk of the United States district court. He largely abandoned his legal career in the 1850s, instead becoming a real estate speculator, buying land from the federal government and selling to settlers. During his term in the Senate, he was elected by the Legislature as one of their appointees to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

Chicago years

In 1867, Stewart began an extensive vacation through Europe. When he returned to the United States, he moved to Chicago. andwas the author of the measures to abolish and re-organize the board of public works and the city health department.

In his later years, he resided mostly in Daytona, Florida. He died of Drospy at his home in Evanston, Illinois, on September 7, 1899.

Personal life and family John W. Stewart was a son of Reverend John Stewart, a Methodist minister of the Ohio conference. Although a fourth generation American, his family was almost entirely of Scottish descent.

Electoral history Wisconsin Senate (1859)