Robert W. Stewart Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 315-316

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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HON. ROBERT W. STEWART. South Dakota is distinguished for her prominent 
representatives of the legal profession, and perhaps none of the newer 
states can justly boast of abler jurists or attorneys. Many of them 
have been men of national fame, and among those whose lives have been 
passed on a quieter plane there is scarcely a town or city in the state 
but can boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing swords in 
forensic combat with almost any distinguished legal light in the 
country.  Among the leading attorneys now practicing at the bar of 
Pierre is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. 

Mr. Stewart was born in Cedar Rapids, Linn county, Iowa, March 11, 
1866, and is a son of William and Eliza (Mills) Stewart, natives off 
Pennsylvania and New York, respectively. The father, who is now 
deceased, was a wagon manufacturer and for many years was engaged in 
that business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he located about 1846 during 
its pioneer days. In that city our subject was reared and educated, 
graduating from the high school and from Coe college at that place. In 
1886 he entered the law department of Yale University, New Haven, 
Connecticut, where he graduated in 1888, and the following year was 
made Master of Law. In 1888 he was admitted to the bar, and for one 
year served as managing clerk for the law firm of Townsend & Watrous, 
New Haven, Connecticut. 

Mr. Stewart came to Pierre, South Dakota, in 1889, and at once began 
the practice of his chosen profession here, forming a partnership with 
H. R. Homer, which still exists. He has been very successful as a 
general practitioner, being retained as counsel on one side or the 
other of many of the most important cases tried here. He defended W. W. 
Taylor, the defaulting state treasurer both in the civil and criminal 
courts, also ex-state Auditor Hipple, Mayhew and Insurance Commissioner 
Anderson, and has been connected with other well known cases in which 
he has come out successful. 

In 1889, Mr. Stewart was united in marriage with Miss Josephine Giffen, 
a daughter of Judge James D. Giffen, of Marion, Iowa, and to them have 
been born two sons, namely: Robert G. and James W. Socially, Mr. 
Stewart is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine, 
and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent 
Protective Order of Elks. In his political views, he is a stanch 
Republican. In 1892 he was elected state's attorney, and most 
creditably filled that office for two years. He was appointed supreme 
court reporter in 1893, and filled that position until the fall of 
1898, when he resigned to accept the office of state senator, 
representing the twenty-fourth senatorial district of South Dakota. He 
was one of the leaders in the senate during the past session, that of 
1898-9, and gave his support to all measures which he believed 
calculated to advance the interests either of his district or the 
entire state. He is also a recognized leader in the ranks of his party, 
and has canvassed the state in its interests, making many political 
speeches. 

In the spring of 1898, at the opening of the war between the United 
States and Spain, Mr. Stewart organized a company of Rough Riders, and 
was commissioned captain of Troop E, May 2, 1898, and made major on the 
18th of the same month, of Grigsby's Rough Riders, of South Dakota. 
They got as far as Chickamauga Park, Tennessee, but the war ended 
before their services were needed and they were mustered out September 
11, 1898. Mr. Stewart is a pleasant and affable gentleman and a 
stranger in his presence soon feels perfectly at ease. He is therefore 
very popular both in public and private life. Constant study and close 
application to the details of his profession have enabled him to reach 
the position that he occupies, that of being one of the leading members 
of the bar in this state.