Donald William Stewart facts for kids
Sir Donald William Stewart (1860 – 1 October 1905) was a British military officer. He later became a high-ranking official in the East Africa Protectorate, which is now Kenya.
Early Life and Family
Sir Donald William Stewart was born in London in 1860. His father was Sir Donald Stewart, 1st Baronet, who was a very important general. His father had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, which was the top military leader in British India.
Military Career
Like his father, Donald Stewart joined the army. He became an officer in a famous Scottish regiment called the Gordon Highlanders.
He served in India and fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between 1879 and 1880. During this war, he was badly hurt. He also fought in the First Boer War in 1881 and the Mahdist War between 1884 and 1885. He left the army in 1888.
Working in Africa
In 1894, Stewart was sent to Kumasi in the Gold Coast, which is now Ghana. He worked there as a political agent, which meant he represented the British government.
In 1896, he became the first British Resident in Kumasi. A Resident was a British official who lived in a local area and advised the local ruler. He served during the Second Ashanti Expedition, another conflict in the region.
Stewart stayed in the Gold Coast until August 1904. Then, he was made the Commissioner of the East Africa Protectorate. A Commissioner was the main British official in charge of a protectorate, which was a territory controlled by Britain.
During his time as Commissioner, he talked with the Maasai about their land. He signed an important agreement called the First Maasai Treaty in 1904. This treaty dealt with land rights for the Maasai people.
Sadly, his time as Commissioner was short. He died in Nairobi on 1 October 1905, from a lung illness called pneumonia. He is buried in the Nairobi South Cemetery.
