William Stewart

Background

He was born in Carbost on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in 1803 to Ronald Stewart and Isabella McLeod.

Career

He moved to Bytown, later Ottawa, in 1827, where he opened a store and tavern. He was elected to the first town council in 1828. He sold land in the Sandy Hill area of the town on behalf of Louis-Théodore Besserer.

Stewart also operated a large farm along the Rideau River.

In 1841, he ran against Stewart Derbishire, the candidate sponsored by Governor Lord Sydenham, to represent Bytown in the Legislative Assembly. Sydenham had persuaded all other candidates to withdraw.

In 1843, he was elected to represent Russell in a by-election and he represented Bytown in the 2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1847. He proposed a canal linking the Ottawa River to Georgian Bay and drafted the bill incorporating Bytown.

He became ill and died in Toronto in 1856 while representing the city of Ottawa there.

Membership

During the 1830s, he was part of the Ottawa River timber trade and was a founding member of the Ottawa Lumber Association. He was a member of the Bytown board of trade and a director for the Bank of British North America.

Connections

associate:

Robert Bell