Mary Downie Stewart was a notable New Zealand political hostess and welfare worker. She was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1876. Her father was William Downie Stewart Sr, a lawyer and from 1879 a member of the House of Representatives. Her mother, Rachel Hepburn, died when Mary was two years old. Her grandfather was the politician George Hepburn. She was very close to her siblings, including Rachel Hepburn Stewart and William Downie Stewart Jr