Sir Samuel Findlater Stewart (22 December 1879 – 11 April 1960) was a Scottish

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

of the

India Office The India Office was a British government department established in London in 1858 to oversee the administration, through a Viceroy and other officials, of the Provinces of India. These territories comprised most of the modern-day nations of I ...

. From 1930 to 1941, he served as

Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India(and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

, the most senior civil servant in the India Office.

Early life and education

Stewart was born on 22 December 1879 in Largs, Scotland one of the seven children of Isabel Finlator and her husband, Alexander Stewart, a teacher at Brisbane School, Largs. At the age of 14 he entered the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating with an MA(Hons) six years later.

Career

In 1903 he passed the civil service examinations and joined the

in 1903, working on miscellaneous assignments until 1920, when he was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Supreme Civil Services in India. In 1924, he became Assistant Under-Secretary of State and Clerk to the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor ...

, while during the period 1927-1930, he also functioned as Secretary to the Indian Statutory Commission, better known as the

Simon Commission The Indian Statutory Commission also known as Simon Commission, was a group of seven Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The commission arrived in India in 1928 to study constitutional reform in Britain's largest a ...

. In 1930, he became the Permanent

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India(and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

, his most important task here being to deal with the various Round Table Conferences and helping promulgate the '' Government of India Act'' 1935. He remained there, until just after the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, leaving to join an executive position in Home Defence and was in-charge of the US military buildup in England. At the end of the war, he worked on various councils and with his experience was a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of various companies.

Personal life

In 1910 he married Winifred Tomblin (d. 1915) with whom he had 2 daughters. Their daughter Gillian married

Otto Skutsch Otto Skutsch (6 December 1906 – 8 December 1990) was a German-born British classicist and academic, specialising in classical philosophy. He was Professor of Latin at University College London from 1951 to 1972. Early life Skutsch was born on ...

, a German-British classicist, in 1938. In 1940 he married Stephanie Robinson.

Honours

Stewart was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in 1919 and

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(CSI) in 1924. He was knighted as

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1930 and was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB) the following year. He was promoted to

Knight Grand Commander Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gra ...

of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) in 1935 and to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1939.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Findlater Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for India Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India 1879 births 1960 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Foreign Office personnel of World War II