James Augustus Stewart (November 24, 1808 – April 3, 1879) was an American politician and jurist. Stewart was born at "Tobacco Stick" (now Madison) in

Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts ( ...

, and attended the local school. He went on to study law in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, was admitted to the bar in 1829, and commenced practice in

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Mary ...

. In addition to law, Stewart also engaged in the building of ships and houses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress, and served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

from 1843 to 1845. Stewart was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, and Thirty-sixth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1861. During the Thirty-fifth Congress, Stewart served as chairman of the Committee on Patents. Stewart was not a candidate for renomination to Congress in 1860, and resumed the practice of his profession in Cambridge. He became a judge of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The court, which is compose ...

and served as chief justice of the circuit court from 1867 until his death in Cambridge. Stewart is interred in Christ Protestant Episcopal Church Cemetery.

References

1808 births 1879 deaths Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals People from Dorchester County, Maryland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges {{Maryland-state-judge-stub