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was born at Edinburgh in
1825, the son of Alexander Stuart. He was educated at the Edinburgh
Academy and on leaving school entered a merchant's office at Glasgow. His
next appointment was at a linen mill in the north of Ireland and in 1845
he went to India. Finding that the climate did not suit him he went to New
Zealand for a period, and in 1851 removed to Sydney. The Victorian gold
discoveries tempted him to try his fortune on the diggings at Ballarat and
Bendigo, but he was not successful. He returned to Sydney in 1852 and was
given a position in the Bank of New South Wales. In less than two years he
had become secretary and an inspector of branches. In 1855 he accepted a
partnership in R. Towns (q.v.) and Company, merchants, and became
well-known as a business man in Sydney. During a controversy on the
education question he spoke in favour of denominational schools and in
1874 was elected a member of the legislative assembly for East Sydney. In
February 1876 he succeeded William Forster (q.v.) as treasurer in the
third Robertson (q.v.) ministry, and held the position until Robertson was
defeated in March 1877. Stuart resigned his seat in March 1879 to become
agent-general at London but gave up this appointment in April. He was
returned for Illawarra at the general election in 1880 and became leader
of the opposition. In 1882 the Parkes-Robertson ministry was defeated and
Stuart became premier from 5 January 1883 to 6 October 1885. He succeeded
in passing a land act in 1884 after much opposition, and other acts dealt
with the civil service, fire brigades, the university, and licensing. In
October 1884 he had a paralytic stroke and went to New Zealand to
recuperate. It was during his illness that W. B. Dalley (q.v.) as
acting-premier offered to send a contingent to the Sudan. Stuart resigned
in October 1885 and was nominated to a seat in the legislative council. In
1886 he was appointed executive commissioner to the Colonial and Indian
exhibition at London, but died there after a short illness on 16 June
1886. He married in 1853 Miss C. E. Wood who survived him. He was created
K.C.M.G. in 1885. He was a man of probity, with a high reputation in
financial circles. |
