William Stewart (Canada West politician)
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William Stewart (July 24, 1803-March 21, 1856) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West.
He was born in Carbost on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in 1803 and came to Glengarry County in Upper Canada with his family in 1816. He moved to Bytown, later Ottawa, in 1827, where he opened a store and tavern. He was elected to the first town council in 1828. He helped found the Carleton General Protestant Hospital, later the Ottawa Civic Hospital.
During the 1830s, he was part of the timber trade on the Ottawa River and was a founding member of the Ottawa Lumber Association. He sold land in the Sandy Hill area of the town on behalf of Louis-Théodore Besserer. Stewart also operated a large farm along the Rideau River.
In 1841, he ran against Stewart Derbishire, the candidate sponsored by Governor Lord Sydenham, to represent Bytown in the Legislative Assembly. Sydenham had persuaded all other candidates to withdraw. In 1843, he was elected to represent Russell in a by-election and he represented Bytown in the 2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1847.
He proposed a canal linking the Ottawa River to Georgian Bay and drafted the bill incorporating Bytown. He was a member of the Bytown board of trade and a director for the Bank of British North America. He was a founding member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Ottawa.
He became ill and died in Toronto in 1856 while representing the city of Ottawa there.
His son, McLeod Stewart, was mayor of Ottawa from 1887 to 1888.
