William Alvah Stewart (August 16, 1903 – April 9, 1953) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) is a federal trial court that sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal ...

Education and career

Stewart was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania and graduated from Peabody High School."Federal Judge Stewart Dies"
''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'', Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, volume 26, number 216, April 10, 1953, pages 1 and 5. (obituary) He received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1925 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1928. He was in private practice in Pittsburgh from 1928 to 1951, and was an instructor at Duquesne Law School from 1930 to 1942. He was an assistant city solicitor for Pittsburgh from 1934 to 1936, then an assistant county solicitor for

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

, Pennsylvania from 1936 to 1938 before becoming city solicitor for Pittsburgh from 1938 to 1942. He was in the

United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army, also known as the U.S. Army JAG Corps, is the legal arm of the United States Army. It is composed of Army officers who are also lawyers and who provide legal services to the Army at a ...

during

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 ...

from 1942 to 1946 and became a lieutenant colonel. He was a member of the Pittsburgh City Council from 1946 to 1951, and a member of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh from 1947 to 1951.

Federal judicial service

On February 27, 1951, Stewart was nominated by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Nelson McVicar. Stewart was confirmed by 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 pow ...

on April 24, 1951, and received his commission on April 25, 1951, serving in that capacity until his death on April 9, 1953. He is buried at the Mount Royal Cemetery, Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William Alvah 1903 births 1953 deaths 20th-century American judges Amherst College alumni Burials in Pennsylvania Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman Pittsburgh City Council members United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps United States Army officers