Samuel Vernon Stewart (August 2, 1872 – September 15, 1939) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician, an attorney, former

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews ...

Justice and the sixth Governor of

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

Biography

Stewart was born in

Monroe County, Ohio Monroe County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,385, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county se ...

, attended Kansas State Normal School, and earned a law degree from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 1898. He married Stella Baker and they had three daughters.

Career

Stewart practiced law in

Virginia City, Montana Virginia City is a town in and the county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. T ...

, where he served as city attorney and county attorney for

Madison County, Montana Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,623. Its county seat is Virginia City. The county was founded in 1865; at the time it was part of the Montana Territory. Geography According t ...

. He was chosen as chairman of the

Montana Democratic Party Montana Democratic Party (MDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Montana and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party as of 2021 is chaired by Robyn Driscoll. The National Committeeman is Jorge ...

in 1910, serving for two years. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1916, 1920, and 1924. Stewart was elected

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of Montana Montana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or ve ...

in 1912 and was re-elected in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

, serving two terms from 1913 to 1921. It was under his governing that

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States in 1917. She was elected to the U.S. House of Represent ...

became the first female Congress member. During his tenure, a fish and game law was sanctioned, a council of defense was authorized, a state highway commission was organized, a sedition act was passed,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

issues were dealt with, and two additional justices were added to the state supreme court. After leaving the office of Governor, Stewart returned to his law practice with the firm of John Griest Brown and served as city attorney of

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

. He challenged incumbent United States Senator

Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler began p ...

in the Democratic primary in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

, but lost to Wheeler in a landslide. He was elected to one term in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

(1930–32). In 1932, Stewart was appointed to the

, where he served until his death in 1939. While serving on the Supreme Court, he ran for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

once again in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

, this time challenging incumbent Senator

James E. Murray James Edward Murray (May 3, 1876March 23, 1961) was an American politician and United States Senator from Montana, and a liberal leader of the Democratic Party. He served in the United States Senate from 1934 until 1961. Background Born on a fa ...

in the Democratic primary. However, he trailed far behind Murray, who narrowly won renomination against Congressman Joseph P. Monaghan.

Death

Stewart died on September 15, 1939, and is interred at Forestvale Cemetery, Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana.

References

External links

State of Montana profileNational Governors Association biography''The Encyclopedia of Montana''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Sam V. 1872 births 1939 deaths People from Woodsfield, Ohio Emporia State University alumni University of Kansas alumni Montana lawyers Democratic Party governors of Montana Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Justices of the Montana Supreme Court American Presbyterians