William Downie Stewart
Encyclopedia
William Downie Stewart (29 July 1878 – 29 September 1949) was a New Zealand
Finance Minister
, Mayor of Dunedin
and writer.
in 1878. His father was William Downie Stewart, a lawyer and politician. His mother was Rachel Hepburn, daughter of George Hepburn
.
to 1935
.
in 1931–33. He resigned after the devaluation of the New Zealand currency, a measure he opposed (Wood, p. 118 & Burdon, 'New Dominion', p. 161).
Downie Stewart stood in the 1935 election as an Independent
National
candidate.
His father had previously represented the Dunedin West electorate.
The younger Downie Stewart was Mayor of Dunedin (1913–14) and the author of a number of books.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
, Mayor of Dunedin
Mayor of Dunedin
The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the municipal government of Dunedin, New Zealand, and presides over the Dunedin City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the Single Transferable Vote system in 2007....
and writer.
Early life
Stewart was born in DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
in 1878. His father was William Downie Stewart, a lawyer and politician. His mother was Rachel Hepburn, daughter of George Hepburn
George Hepburn (New Zealand)
George Hepburn was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Otago, New Zealand.He represented the Roslyn electorate from 1866 to 1869, when he resigned.-References:...
.
Member of Parliament
William Downie Stewart represented the Dunedin West electorate from 1914New Zealand general election, 1914
The New Zealand general election of 1914 was held on 10 December to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 19th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 616,043 voters were registered, of which 84.7% voters turned out to vote....
to 1935
New Zealand general election, 1935
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...
.
Minister of Finance & Resignation
Downie Stewart was Finance MinisterFinance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
in 1931–33. He resigned after the devaluation of the New Zealand currency, a measure he opposed (Wood, p. 118 & Burdon, 'New Dominion', p. 161).
Downie Stewart stood in the 1935 election as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
National
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
candidate.
His father had previously represented the Dunedin West electorate.
The younger Downie Stewart was Mayor of Dunedin (1913–14) and the author of a number of books.