Tom Stewart
Encyclopedia
Arthur Thomas Stewart more commonly known as Tom Stewart, was a Democratic
United States Senator
from Tennessee
from 1939 to 1949.
. Stewart also had a sister called Lydia. He attended the former Pryor Institute, a private school, in Jasper, Tennessee
and Emory College (now Emory University
). He returned to Tennessee and attended Cumberland School of Law
at Cumberland University
in Lebanon
. Upon admission to the bar
in 1913, he set up practice in Birmingham, Alabama
. He moved back to Jasper, Tennessee in 1915 and practised there until 1919, then moved to Winchester, Tennessee
.
for the former 18th Circuit for a term beginning in 1923. He served in this position until 1939. In 1925 Stewart was the chief prosecutor in the Scopes Trial
. Stewart designed the prosecution's argument to preserve political control over the schools exclusively within the state legislature, thereby keeping the trial to the narrow, legal matter and forestalling attempts by the defense to introduce scientific testimony to show there was not a conflict between evolution
and the story of divine creation
set forth in Genesis. Except for the willingness of William Jennings Bryan
to be cross-examined by Clarence Darrow
, Stewart's positions controlled the trial and the Scopes defense had no recourse but to ask the jury to convict the defendant so the case could be appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court
(which overturned the conviction on a legal technicality but upheld the constitutionality of the Butler Act
).
, who had died in office. In the August Democratic primary
he defeated labor union leader George L. Berry
, who had been appointed to the seat upon Bachman's death by Governor Gordon Browning
, and was elected Senator on November 8. Eligible to begin serving immediately, he instead waited until the expiry of his term as district attorney on January 16, 1939 to take his Senate seat.
Stewart was somewhat typical of the Democratic Party's Southern
wing of that era. He has been considered by some to be at least somewhat an ally of Memphis
political boss E. H. Crump
, but less so than Tennessee's other Senator of the time, Memphian Kenneth McKellar
. Unlike some of the other Southern Senators, however, Stewart was also a staunch pro-Roosevelt New Dealer and was the only successful Senator win a primary and purge an incumbent Senator who Roosevelt targeted in the infamous 1938 midterm election "purge." Stewart was reelected in 1942. In that year, shortly after the beginning of Japanese internment
, he introduced a bill in the Senate to revoke citizenship from all American-born Japanese. In 1948 was challenged for renomination by Estes Kefauver
, a progressive
East Tennessean
who defeated him.
Stewart returned to the private practice of law. He died in Nashville
and was interred at Winchester's Memorial Park Cemetery.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1939 to 1949.
Early life and education
Stewart was born in Dunlap, TennesseeDunlap, Tennessee
Dunlap is a city in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sequatchie County.Dunlap is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Stewart also had a sister called Lydia. He attended the former Pryor Institute, a private school, in Jasper, Tennessee
Jasper, Tennessee
Jasper is a town in Marion County, Tennessee. The population was 3,214 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County.Jasper is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and Emory College (now Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
). He returned to Tennessee and attended Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The 11th oldest law school in the United States, it is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates. Its alumni include two United States Supreme Court Justices; Nobel Peace Prize recipient...
at Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
in Lebanon
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
. Upon admission to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1913, he set up practice in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. He moved back to Jasper, Tennessee in 1915 and practised there until 1919, then moved to Winchester, Tennessee
Winchester, Tennessee
Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
Legal career
In private practice in Winchester, he was elected district attorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for the former 18th Circuit for a term beginning in 1923. He served in this position until 1939. In 1925 Stewart was the chief prosecutor in the Scopes Trial
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
. Stewart designed the prosecution's argument to preserve political control over the schools exclusively within the state legislature, thereby keeping the trial to the narrow, legal matter and forestalling attempts by the defense to introduce scientific testimony to show there was not a conflict between evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and the story of divine creation
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
set forth in Genesis. Except for the willingness of William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
to be cross-examined by Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
, Stewart's positions controlled the trial and the Scopes defense had no recourse but to ask the jury to convict the defendant so the case could be appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court
Tennessee Supreme Court
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the state of Tennessee. Cornelia Clark is the current Chief Justice.Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state legislature, the Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the...
(which overturned the conviction on a legal technicality but upheld the constitutionality of the Butler Act
Butler Act
The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee law prohibiting public school teachers from denying the Biblical account of man’s origin. It was enacted as Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49 Section 1922...
).
Political career
In 1938 he entered the race for the balance of the unexpired term of the late Senator Nathan L. BachmanNathan L. Bachman
Nathan Lynn Bachman was a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1933 until his death. He was a member of the Democratic Party.- Biography :Bachman was born in East Tennessee...
, who had died in office. In the August Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
he defeated labor union leader George L. Berry
George L. Berry
George Leonard Berry was president of the International Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America from 1907 to 1948 and a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1937 to 1938.-Early life:...
, who had been appointed to the seat upon Bachman's death by Governor Gordon Browning
Gordon Browning
Gordon Weaver Browning was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States Congress and was later Governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1949 to 1953.-Biography:...
, and was elected Senator on November 8. Eligible to begin serving immediately, he instead waited until the expiry of his term as district attorney on January 16, 1939 to take his Senate seat.
Stewart was somewhat typical of the Democratic Party's Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
wing of that era. He has been considered by some to be at least somewhat an ally of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
political boss E. H. Crump
E. H. Crump
Edward Hull "Boss" Crump was an American politician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was mayor from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.-Career:...
, but less so than Tennessee's other Senator of the time, Memphian Kenneth McKellar
Kenneth McKellar
Kenneth Douglas McKellar was an American politician from Tennessee who served as a United States Representative from 1911 until 1917 and as a United States Senator from 1917 until 1953...
. Unlike some of the other Southern Senators, however, Stewart was also a staunch pro-Roosevelt New Dealer and was the only successful Senator win a primary and purge an incumbent Senator who Roosevelt targeted in the infamous 1938 midterm election "purge." Stewart was reelected in 1942. In that year, shortly after the beginning of Japanese internment
Japanese internment
Japanese internment is a term generally used to refer to one or both of the following events:*Japanese American internment, the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II...
, he introduced a bill in the Senate to revoke citizenship from all American-born Japanese. In 1948 was challenged for renomination by Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
, a progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
East Tennessean
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
who defeated him.
Stewart returned to the private practice of law. He died in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and was interred at Winchester's Memorial Park Cemetery.