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 supreme court, 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 w ...

Justice and the sixth Governor of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

Biography

Stewart was born in

Monroe County, Ohio Monroe County is a County (United States), county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of 2023, the population was 13,153, making it the List of counties in Ohio, second-least po ...

the son of farmer John Wilson and

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Maria (Carle) Stewart. He had two brothers named William and Harold, a sister named Sallie, and a sibling of unknown gender that died at birth. He attended Kansas State Normal School, and earned a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

in 1898. On April 27, 1905, he married Stella Baker in

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

, and they had three daughters named Emily, Majorie, and Leah.

Career

Stewart practiced law in

Virginia City, Montana Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. Virginia City was the territorial capital of Montana from 1865 to 1875. In 1961 the town and the surrounding area were designated a National Historic Landm ...

, 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 ...

. 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 2024 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 18 ...

in 1916, 1920, and 1924. Stewart was elected

Governor of Montana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

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 Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

, 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. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as ...

became the first female Congress member. During his tenure, several labor laws were introduced, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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. He challenged incumbent United States Senator Burton K. Wheeler in the Democratic primary in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

, 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 In the event that the parti ...

(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 a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

once again in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

, this time challenging incumbent Senator James E. Murray 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 20th-century members of the Montana Legislature