Houston Stewart
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Houston Stewart GCB
(3 August 1791 – 10 December 1875) was a Royal Navy
officer and briefly a Liberal Party
Member of Parliament
(MP).
, the son of Sir Michael Shaw Stewart
, 5th Bart., of Greenock and Blackhall, Stewart joined the Royal Navy in February 1805. After service at Walcheren
in 1809 he was posted to the Jamaica Station as a commander. After promotion to captain, he was in charge of HMS Menai and the Halifax dockyard. He served in the Syrian War
as captain of the HMS Benbow
. Thereafter the was Captain-Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard
, Controller-General of the Coastguard and a Commissioner of the Admiralty (Third Naval Lord
and then Second Naval Lord
). He was made a Rear-Admiral in 1851.
During the Crimean War
, Stewart was second in command of the Black Sea
and was in command at the capture of Kinburn
. His flag in was in . Thereafter he was Superintendent of Devonport dockyard from 1856, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station from later that year and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
from 1860. Appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1869, he became Admiral of the Fleet in 1872.
At the 1837 general election
he stood for Parliament in Renfrewshire
, but was unsuccessful.
He entered the House of Commons fifteen years later, when he was elected a a by-election in February 1852 as a Member of Parliament
MP for Greenwich
, following the resignation of Sir James Dundas
.
However, he held the seat for only a few months, until his defeat at the general election in July 1852
.
He married, in 1819, Martha, youngest daughter of Lord Glenlee, and had three sons, the eldest of whom was Admiral Sir William Houston Stewart
GCB.
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
Sir Houston Stewart GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(3 August 1791 – 10 December 1875) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer and briefly a Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP).
Naval career
Born at Springkell, near Kirtlebridge, DumfriesshireDumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, the son of Sir Michael Shaw Stewart
Shaw-Stewart Baronets
The Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart Baronetcy, of Greenock and Blackhall in the County of Renfrew, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 27 March 1667 for Archibald Stewart. This family is descended in the direct male line from Sir John Stewart, illegitimate son of Robert III...
, 5th Bart., of Greenock and Blackhall, Stewart joined the Royal Navy in February 1805. After service at Walcheren
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
in 1809 he was posted to the Jamaica Station as a commander. After promotion to captain, he was in charge of HMS Menai and the Halifax dockyard. He served in the Syrian War
Syrian War
The Syrian War is the name generally given to the war of 1839-40 fought in the Middle East, also known as the Second Syrian War, mainly on territory that is now Lebanon, between the Allied Powers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire and the...
as captain of the HMS Benbow
HMS Benbow (1813)
HMS Benbow was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Brent of Rotherhithe and launched on 3 February 1813.She was used for harbour service from February 1848 until August 1859, when she was converted to be used as a coal hulk. In 1892, after 79 years of service, she was...
. Thereafter the was Captain-Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....
, Controller-General of the Coastguard and a Commissioner of the Admiralty (Third Naval Lord
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
and then Second Naval Lord
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
). He was made a Rear-Admiral in 1851.
During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, Stewart was second in command of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and was in command at the capture of Kinburn
Battle of Kinburn (1855)
The Battle of Kinburn/Kil-Bouroun was a naval engagement during the final stage of the Crimean War. It took place on the tip of the Kinburn Peninsula on 17 October 1855...
. His flag in was in . Thereafter he was Superintendent of Devonport dockyard from 1856, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station from later that year and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. In the nineteenth century the holder of the office was known as Commander-in-Chief,...
from 1860. Appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1869, he became Admiral of the Fleet in 1872.
At the 1837 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1837
The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....
he stood for Parliament in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Renfrewshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 until 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
, but was unsuccessful.
He entered the House of Commons fifteen years later, when he was elected a a by-election in February 1852 as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
MP for Greenwich
Greenwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Greenwich was a parliamentary constituency in South-East London, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1997 by the first past the post system.-History:...
, following the resignation of Sir James Dundas
James Whitley Deans Dundas
Admiral Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas GCB was a Royal Navy officer and a First Sea Lord.-Naval career:...
.
However, he held the seat for only a few months, until his defeat at the general election in July 1852
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
.
He married, in 1819, Martha, youngest daughter of Lord Glenlee, and had three sons, the eldest of whom was Admiral Sir William Houston Stewart
William Houston Stewart
Admiral Sir William Houston Stewart GCB was a British naval officer who was Controller of the Royal Navy from 1872 to 1881.-Personal life:...
GCB.