William Downie Stewart Sr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Downie Stewart
MP, MLC
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Downie Stewart
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for City of Dunedin |
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| In office 1879–1881 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Dunedin West |
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| In office 1884–1890 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council | |
| In office 1890–1898 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 May 1842 Blair Drummond  Scotland |
| Died | 25 November 1898 (aged 56) New Zealand |
| Spouses | Rachel Stewart (née Hepburn, d. 1878) Mary Stewart (née Thomson, m. 1881) |
| Children | Five by first wife, including Rachelina Hepburn Stewart, William Downie Stewart Jr, George Hepburn Stewart, and Mary Downie Stewart; one daughter by second wife |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
William Downie Stewart (born May 15, 1842 – died November 25, 1898) was an important person in New Zealand's history. He was a lawyer and a politician in the 1800s.
Contents
William Downie Stewart's Early Life
Stewart was born in a place called Blair Drummond in Scotland. His parents were Alexander and Mary Stewart. He started studying law in Scotland. But when he was 19, in 1861, he moved to Dunedin, New Zealand. He arrived on a ship called the Robert Henderson. In Dunedin, he kept studying to become a lawyer.
Stewart had many brothers and sisters, eleven in total. Over time, nine of them also moved to Dunedin. He first married Rachel Stewart (her maiden name was Hepburn). She was the youngest daughter of an early Dunedin settler, George Hepburn. William and Rachel had five children together. Four of their children grew up and continued to work in public service, just like their father. After Rachel passed away in 1878, Stewart married Mary Thomson. They had one daughter.
Becoming a Lawyer
Stewart started his legal career working in law offices. In 1867, he officially became a lawyer and started his own practice. A famous New Zealand politician named Robert Stout even worked for him for a while.
William Downie Stewart's Political Career
Stewart was a Member of Parliament (MP) for several years. An MP is a person elected to represent people in the country's government.
Representing the City of Dunedin
Stewart first became an MP in 1879. He won a special election for the City of Dunedin area. He was even offered a job as the country's top lawyer, called the Attorney-General, but he said no. Later that year, he was re-elected for the same area in the main election.
Representing Dunedin West
In the 1881 election, Stewart tried to win a seat for a new area called Dunedin West. He lost that election by a very small number of votes. But in the next election, in 1884, he ran again for Dunedin West and won! He won again for Dunedin West in 1887.
Moving to the Legislative Council
Stewart decided to leave Parliament in 1890. After that, he was appointed to the Legislative Council. This was another part of the government, like an upper house. He served there from 1891 until he passed away.
Family in Politics
William Downie Stewart wasn't the only politician in his family.
- His first wife's father, George Hepburn, was also a Member of Parliament. He represented the Roslyn area from 1866 to 1869.
- His son, William Downie Stewart Jr, also became a very important politician. He represented Dunedin West for almost 20 years. He even became the Minister of Finance (in charge of the country's money) and was acting Prime Minister for a time.
William Downie Stewart's Family Life
William Downie Stewart had five children with his first wife, Rachelina Hepburn. Their first child, Alexander, sadly died when he was very young. Their other children were Rachelina, George, Mary, and William Downie Jr. His wife Rachelina passed away a few months after their last son was born.
Stewart married again in 1881 to Mary Thomson. She was from Scotland, too. They had one daughter named Ethel Margaret, who was born in New Zealand.
William Downie Stewart passed away on November 25, 1898.
