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

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

, former Montana Supreme Court Justice and the sixth Governor of Montana.

Biography

Stewart was born in Monroe County, Ohio, attended Kansas State Normal School, and earned a law degree from the University of Kansas in 1898. He married Stella Baker and they had three daughters.

Career

Stewart practiced law in Virginia City, Montana, where he served as city attorney and county attorney for Madison County, Montana. 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 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 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 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 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 Bazhanov, J ...

, 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 Montana Supreme Court, where he served until his death in 1939. While serving on the Supreme Court, he ran for the United States Senate 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 in the Democratic primary. However, he trailed far behind Murray, who narrowly won renomination against Congressman

Joseph P. Monaghan Joseph Patrick Monaghan (March 26, 1906 – July 4, 1985) of Butte, Montana was a U.S. Representative from Montana from 1933 to 1937. He was a Democrat. In 1936 he decided not to run for reelection and instead challenged Democratic incumbent Unit ...

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