Born in Bytown on February 6, 1847, Stewart was educated at University College in Toronto. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1870 and became one of the country’s most distinguished lawyers.
In 1881, with William Hodgson, he built the Molson's Bank building on the Sparks Street Mall.
The Marshall Building (formerly the Molson’s Bank) is a good example of late-nineteenth century speculative construction. Although not owned by a bank nor designed to be a bank, it is associated with the banking industry and the development of ‘Upper Town’ as the commercial and financial centre of Ottawa. This is due to its location on Banker's Row and its several early banking tenants - first the Union Bank of Lower Canada then Molson's Bank - and later ownership by the Bank of Montreal.
He was elected mayor of Ottawa in 1887 and 1888 and he strongly advocated the purchase and setting aside of Rockcliffe as a public park.The first Central Canada Exhibition opened on September 25, 1888, during his term as mayor.
Single exhibitions were held on the site in 1875, 1879, 1883 and 1888. The last of these exhibitions was opened on September 20, 1888 by Charles Magee, President of the Exhibition Association, with Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and Governor General Lord Stanley in attendance. A decision was made to formalize an ongoing annual fair, resulting in the 1888 special event becoming the first of the annual fairs. The 1888 Exhibition Association evolved into a permanent organization, and a lease of the site was agreed to with the City of Ottawa.
Advertisement for the first annual Central Canada Exhibition
The Stewart family owned some of the land south of Gladstone Avenue, which was then the southern limit for the city of Ottawa. The area was called Stewarton, and the family home was located on the current site of the Canadian Museum of Nature. McLeod Street in Ottawa is named after him.
In 1897, he visited London, seeking financial backers for a canal linking the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Stewart was a life member of the board of the Protestant Orphans’ Home and was one of the founders of the Protestant Home for the Aged. He was also the first president of the Agricultural Society, a charter member of the Rideau Club, an original shareholder of Beechwood Cemetery, president of the St. Andrew’s Society and chief of the Caledonian Society.
In business, he was president of the Stewart Ranch Company, president of the Canadian Anthracite Coal Company and president of the Canada Atlantic Railway. Mayor Stewart was also one of the original officers of the Governor General’s Foot Guards.
In his later years, Stewart focussed some of his energies on writing and produced several publications, including "Ottawa an ocean port" (Ottawa, 1893), "Fifty years of the Ottawa Board of Trade" (Ottawa, 1908) and "The first half-century of Ottawa" (Ottawa, 1910). McLeod Street was named after him.
