James David Stewart

Who was James David Stewart?

James David Stewart was a Prince Edward Island educator, lawyer and politician, the province's 15th Premier.

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 party, 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.