William Alvah Stewart

Who was William Alvah Stewart?

William Alvah Stewart was a United States federal judge.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stewart received an A.B. from Amherst College in 1925 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1928. He was in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1951, and was an instructor at Duquesne Law School from 1930 to 1942. He was an assistant city solicitor for Pittsburgh from 1934 to 1936, then an assistant county solicitor for Allegheny County from 1936 to 1938 before becoming a city solicitor for Pittsburgh from 1938 to 1942. He was in the United States Army, JAG Corps during World War II, from 1942 to 1946. He was a member of the Pittsburgh City Council from 1946 to 1951, and a member of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh from 1947 to 1951.

On February 27, 1951, Stewart was nominated by President Harry S. Truman to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Nelson McVicar. Stewart was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 24, 1951, and received his commission on April 25, 1951, serving in that capacity until his death.