James David Stewart

James David Stewart (January 15, 1874 – October 10, 1933) was a Prince Edward Island educator, lawyer and politician, the province's 15th premier.

James David Stewart

KC
15th Premier of Prince Edward Island
In office
September 5, 1923 – August 21, 1927
MonarchGeorge V
Lieutenant GovernorMurdoch McKinnon
Frank Richard Heartz
Preceded byJohn Howatt Bell
Succeeded byAlbert C. Saunders
In office
August 29, 1931 – October 10, 1933
MonarchGeorge V
Lieutenant GovernorCharles Dalton
Preceded byWalter Lea
Succeeded byWilliam J. P. MacMillan
Leader of the Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island
In office
May 1, 1921 – October 10, 1933
Preceded byAubin-Edmond Arsenault
Succeeded byWilliam J. P. MacMillan
MLA (Councillor) for 5th Kings
In office
July 25, 1917 – October 10, 1933
Preceded byJohn A. Mathieson
Succeeded byGeorge Saville
Personal details
Born(1874-01-15)January 15, 1874
Lower Montague, Prince Edward Island
DiedOctober 10, 1933(1933-10-10) (aged 59)
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
NationalityCanadian
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Barbara Alice MacDonald Westaway
Children7
Alma materPrince of Wales College
Dalhousie University
Occupationlawyer
ProfessionPolitician
CabinetAttorney General (1923–1927) (1931–1933)

Born in Lower Montague and educated at Prince of Wales College and Dalhousie University, he taught school in Georgetown for several years before entering the legal profession.

In 1917, the Conservative Party recruited Stewart, then a young lawyer, to be the party's candidate in a by-election in King's County. Stewart won the vote and took his seat in the provincial legislative assembly.

In 1921 he was elected leader of the Conservative Party and led the party to victory in the 1923 election but his government was defeated in the 1927 election due to Stewart's opposition to total prohibition of alcohol.

He remained party leader and defeated the Liberal government in the 1931 election thanks, in part, to the difficulty all incumbent governments had in dealing with the Great Depression.

Stewart took on several cabinet positions himself and also intensively lobbied the federal government for relief so the province could deal with the economic hardships Prince Edward Islanders were suffering during the Depression. He obtained a larger federal subsidy for the island but the workload had a toll on Stewart and he died in office in 1933 at the age of 59.

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