William Downie Stewart, Jr.
| The Honourable William Downie Stewart, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 24th Minister of Finance | |
|
In office 24 May 1926 – 10 December 1928 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Coates |
| Preceded by | William Nosworthy |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Ward |
|
In office 22 September 1931 – 28 January 1933 | |
| Prime Minister | George Forbes |
| Preceded by | George Forbes |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Coates |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 July 1878 Dunedin New Zealand |
| Died |
29 September 1949 Dunedin New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | Reform |
William Downie Stewart (29 July 1878 – 29 September 1949) was a New Zealand Finance Minister, Mayor of Dunedin and writer.
Early life
Stewart was born in Dunedin in 1878. His father was William Downie Stewart, a lawyer and politician. His mother was Rachel Hepburn, daughter of George Hepburn.[1] His sister was Rachelina (Rachel) Hepburn Armitage.[2]
Political career
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1914–1919 | 19th | Dunedin West | Reform | |
| 1919–1922 | 20th | Dunedin West | Reform | |
| 1922–1925 | 21st | Dunedin West | Reform | |
| 1925–1928 | 22nd | Dunedin West | Reform | |
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Dunedin West | Reform | |
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Dunedin West | Reform | |
Downie Stewart was the author of a number of books.[1] He and the American economist James Edward Le Rossignol of the University of Denver 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."[3]
Downie Stewart was Mayor of Dunedin (1913–1914).[1] He represented the Dunedin West electorate from 1914 to 1935.[4] His father had previously represented the Dunedin West electorate.[4]
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[5]
Minister of Finance and resignation
Downie Stewart was Finance Minister in 1931–1933. He resigned after the devaluation of the New Zealand currency, a measure he opposed.[1][6][7] Downie Stewart stood in the 1935 general election as an Independent United-Reform Coalition candidate, losing to Labour's Dr Gervan McMillan.
W Downie Stewart is noted in Carroll Quigley's book "The Anglo American Establishment" as President of the New Zealand branch of the Institute of International Affairs, which in turn was connected to the Royal Institute of International Affairs. These organisations were part of the Rhodes/Roundtable movement. They were also connected to the Institute of Pacific Relations and many members of the J.P.Morgan bank were involved. When J.P.Morgan died it became apparent that he was a Rothschild agent.
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 Dale, Stephanie. "Stewart, William Downie - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ↑ Wilkie, Yvonne M. "Rachelina Hepburn Armitage". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved December 2011. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ L.L.P. (1911). "State Socialism in New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Wiley. 74 (7): 754–756. doi:10.2307/2339748. JSTOR 2339748.
- 1 2 Scholefield 1950, p. 141.
- ↑ "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. CXIX (105). 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ↑ Wood, p. 118
- ↑ Burdon, 'New Dominion', p. 161
References
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis Bell |
Attorney-General 1926 1931–1933 |
Succeeded by Frank Rolleston |
| Preceded by Thomas Sidey |
Succeeded by George Forbes | |
| Preceded by Frank Rolleston |
Minister of Justice 1928 |
Succeeded by Thomas Wilford |