William James Stewart

For other people named William Stewart, see William Stewart (disambiguation).

William James Stewart
Member of Provincial Parliament
In office 1951–1959
Preceded by	Lloyd F. K. Fell
Succeeded by	James Beecham Trotter
Constituency	Parkdale
Member of Provincial Parliament
In office 1938–1948
Preceded by	Frederick George McBrien
Succeeded by	Lloyd F. K. Fell
Constituency	Parkdale
43rd Mayor of Toronto
In office 1931–1934
Preceded by	Bert Wemp
Succeeded by	James Simpson
Constituency	Old City of Toronto
Personal details
Born	February 13, 1899(1899-02-13)
Died	September 18, 1969(1969-09-18) (aged 70)
Political party	Ontario Progressive Conservative Party
Residence	Toronto
Occupation	Funeral home director

William James Stewart (February 13, 1889 – September 18, 1969) was a Canadian politician. Stewart also owned and operated the Bates and Dodds Funeral Home on Queen Street West in Toronto.

Political life

Mayor of Toronto

Stewart at the opening of the Toronto Coach Terminal in 1931

Stewart served as Mayor of Toronto from 1931 until 1934. He entered provincial politics in 1937 when he ran for the leadership of the Ontario Conservative Party. He came in third place behind Earl Rowe and George Drew. He was elected in a by-election on October 5, 1938 as Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Parkdale in Toronto's west end.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Following the 1943 election that brought the George Drew's Tories to power, Stewart became Speaker of the legislature, a difficult task as the Progressive Conservatives (as they were known by then) had only a minority government. He was reappointed Speaker following the 1945 election until he suddenly resigned in March 1947 to become a backbench Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).

Backbencher and committee member

Stewart became a backbencher and went on to serve on various committees, serving as Chairman of the Select Committee on Reform Institutions from 1953 to 1955. He remained a member of the legislature until the 1959 election when his Parkdale seat was won by a Liberal. Stewart served until 1948 when he lost to CCF candidate Lloyd Fell. He regained his seat in the 1951 provincial election election and remained until his retirement in 1959.