William Stewart

William Stewart (July 24, 1803 – March 21, 1856) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West. An immigrant from Scotland, he settled in Bytown (now Ottawa) where he was active in business and public life. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, serving from 1843 to 1847. He died in Toronto in 1856, while representing the interests of the city of Ottawa.

Early life and family Stewart was born in Carbost, Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in 1803 to Ranald Stewart and Isabella McLeod. After his father's death in 1816, Stewart and his family, consisting of his recently widowed mother, grandmother, uncle, and nine siblings, emigrated to Upper Canada. Landing in Quebec City, Lower Canada, they settled in Glengarry County, Upper Canada, an area with a large Scottish population.

In 1838, Stewart returned to Skye to marry Catherine Stewart, his first cousin once removed. They married at Cuidrach on the Isle of Skye, and honeymooned in London. They had five daughters and four sons.

Stewart was fluent in both English and Scots Gaelic, and acquired a working knowledge of French.

Stewart refused to withdraw. In the election, held on March 8 and 9, 1841, Derbishire carried the poll, by a vote of 52 to 29. Stewart immediately issued two public protests, accusing the returning officer of partisanship in favour of Derbishire, but did not contest the outcome further.

The next year, 1844, there was a general election for Parliament. Derbishire did not stand for re-election, having accepted a position as Queen's Printer for the Province. Stewart ran in the Bytown seat and was elected. He represented Bytown in Parliament from 1844 to 1847.

In the Assembly, Stewart showed himself to be a moderate Tory, generally voting in support of the positions of the Governor General. He proposed a canal linking the Ottawa River to Georgian Bay and drafted the bill incorporating Bytown. He was criticised for drawing the town boundaries to exclude his own farming property, making it subject to lower tax rates. He defended the boundaries on the basis that he was following the boundaries drawn by Lord Sydenham for the electoral district of Bytown.

Stewart stood for re-election in the general election of 1848 but was defeated. He tried again in the elections of 1851 and 1854, but was defeated each time. In the 1851 election, he was affiliated with the British American League, a group of Conservatives and Tories who favoured the British connection and the unification of all of British America.

Death Stewart became ill and died in Toronto in 1856 while acting as an agent for the city of Ottawa in dealings with the provincial government. His close political associate, Robert Bell, was with him at his bedside before his death. John Sandfield Macdonald, the member for Glengarry, was also present at his deathbed, and drew up his will.

Legacy

His son, McLeod Stewart, was mayor of Ottawa from 1887 to 1888. His brother Neil also served in the assembly for the Province of Canada.

Stewart owned considerable land in the area now known as Ottawa's Centretown. The Victoria Memorial Museum Building is located on the land that made up Stewart's farm. Several streets in the area were named for members of his family: Catherine Street for his wife, McLeod Street for his son, Flora Street, Isabella Street, and Florence Street for his daughters.