Stewart was first elected to the
2nd Alberta Legislature as a member of the
Alberta Conservative Party in a
by-election held in the
Lethbridge City electoral district on 31 October 1911. Stewart defeated his
Liberal opponent S. J. Shepherd by 183 votes. The by-election came as a result of the resignation of
William Ashbury Buchanan, who was elected in the
1911 Canadian federal election. Stewart was subsequently re-elected in
1913 and acclaimed in
1917 by an act of the legislature which provided members serving overseas in the
First World War would be acclaimed. The Lethbridge City electoral district was dissolved prior to the
1921 Alberta general election, which saw Stewart defeat his Labour opponent John Marsh by 978 votes. While Stewart ran as an independent, he was the only former Conservative member to be returned to the legislature in 1921. Stewart contested the
1925 Canadian federal election in the
Lethbridge riding, representing the
Conservative Party of Canada. He was defeated by incumbent
Progressive candidate
Lincoln Henry Jelliff by 743 votes. Stewart did not contest the quickly called
1926 federal election, but he did contest the
1930 election defeating Progressive candidate Thomas Owen King by 987 votes, earning a seat in
House of Commons of Canada. Stewart was unable to hold his seat in the
1935 election, being defeated by
federal Social Credit candidate
John Horne Blackmore by a wide margin of over 3,600 votes. Stewart tried again and fail to unseat Blackmore again in
1940. As a
member of Parliament Stewart took an interest in
Waterton Lakes National Park, leading the Canadian negotiations for the establishment of
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park with American
Congressman from
Montana Scott Leavitt. ==Later life==