William Downie Stewart (29 July 1878 – 29 September 1949) was a New Zealand

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

Mayor of Dunedin The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

and writer.

Early life

Stewart was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1878. His father was

William Downie Stewart William Downie Stewart may refer to: *William Downie Stewart Sr (1842–1898), member of House of Representatives for City of Dunedin and Dunedin West *William Downie Stewart Jr William Downie Stewart (29 July 1878 – 29 September 1949) was a ...

, a lawyer and politician. His mother was Rachel Hepburn, daughter of George Hepburn. One of his four siblings was Rachelina (Rachel) Hepburn Armitage. Stewart's mother died within months of his birth, leaving him and his four siblings to be raised by nannies and nurses. From 1888–1894, he attended

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

and continued his studies at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

Political career

Downie Stewart was the author of a number of books. He and the American economist James Edward Le Rossignol of the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

published ''State socialism in New Zealand'' in 1910. A reviewer called the book "an illuminating study of the remarkable series of instructive experiments in socialistic legislation, for which New Zealand has become conspicuous, together with that Australian Commonwealth, which is its nearest neighbour." Downie Stewart was Mayor of Dunedin (1913–1914). He represented the Dunedin West electorate from

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

to 1935. His father had previously represented the Dunedin West electorate.

Minister of Finance and resignation

Downie Stewart was

in 1931–1933. He resigned after the devaluation of the New Zealand currency, a measure he opposed. Downie Stewart stood in the 1935 general election as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

United-Reform Coalition candidate, losing to Labour's Dr Gervan McMillan. In July 1934, he became the first chairman of the newly formed New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, the local branch of

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

. He ceded that position to

Bill Barnard William Edward Barnard (29 January 1886 – 12 March 1958) was a New Zealand lawyer, politician and parliamentary speaker. He was a member of Parliament from 1928 until 1943, and was its Speaker from 1936 till 1943. He was known for his associ ...

, the

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

, the NZIIA merged with the local branch of the

Institute of Pacific Relations The Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity o ...

in late 1939. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Notes

References

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William Downie 1878 births 1949 deaths Independent MPs of New Zealand Mayors of Dunedin Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand defence ministers New Zealand finance ministers 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand writers New Zealand Presbyterians Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand people of World War I University of Otago alumni New Zealand people of Scottish descent Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Justice ministers of New Zealand