William Downie Stewart Jr

William Downie Stewart (29 July 1878 – 29 September 1949) was a New Zealand Finance Minister, Mayor of Dunedin and writer.

Early life Stewart was born in Dunedin in 1878. His father was William Downie Stewart, a lawyer and politician. His mother was Rachel Hepburn, daughter of George Hepburn. One of his four siblings was Rachelina (Rachel) Hepburn Armitage. Stewart's mother died within months of his birth, leaving him and his four siblings to be raised by nannies and nurses. From 1888 to 1894, he attended Otago Boys' High School and continued his studies at the University of Otago.

Downie Stewart was Mayor of Dunedin (1913–1914). Downie Stewart stood in the 1935 general election as an Independent United-Reform Coalition candidate, losing to Labour's Dr Gervan McMillan.

In July 1934, he became the first chairman of the newly formed New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, the local branch of Chatham House. He ceded that position to Bill Barnard, the speaker of the House, the NZIIA merged with the local branch of the Institute of Pacific Relations in late 1939.

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.