Representative Jacob Henry Stewart

Jacob Henry Stewart (January 15, 1829 – August 25, 1884) was a physician, civic leader, and Republican Representative for the U.S. state of Minnesota. He was born in Clermont, New York, on January 15, 1829, and moved with his parents in childhood to Peekskill, New York. There he attended the common schools and later enrolled at Phillips Academy, from which he was graduated. Intending to pursue a career in medicine, he studied at Yale College and subsequently completed his medical education at the University Medical College of New York City, graduating in 1851. After receiving his medical degree, Stewart returned to Peekskill, where he began the practice of medicine.

In 1855, Stewart moved west to Saint Paul, Minnesota, which was then a rapidly developing community in the Minnesota Territory. He quickly established himself in the medical profession and in 1856 became the medical officer of Ramsey County. His growing reputation in public health and medicine led to his appointment as surgeon general of the State of Minnesota, a position he held from 1857 to 1863. During these years he played a prominent role in organizing and overseeing medical services in the young state. Stewart also entered public life as a legislator, serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate in 1858 and 1859. During the American Civil War, he served briefly as a surgeon in the Union Army, contributing his medical expertise to the war effort.

Stewart’s civic and political career in Saint Paul expanded significantly in the 1860s and 1870s. He was elected mayor of Saint Paul in 1864, reflecting the confidence of local citizens in his leadership during a period of wartime and postwar transition. He later served additional terms as mayor in 1868 and from 1872 to 1874, overseeing municipal affairs as the city continued to grow as a regional center. Between his mayoral terms, from 1865 to 1870, Stewart also held the federal appointment of postmaster of Saint Paul, administering postal services at a time when reliable communication was vital to the development of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

As a member of the Republican Party representing Minnesota, Stewart advanced to national office in the 1870s. In 1876, he was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth Congress, serving one term from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1879. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by the end of Reconstruction and the nation’s adjustment to post–Civil War realities. In this context, Stewart contributed to the legislative process, participating in the democratic governance of the country and representing the interests of his Minnesota constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

After completing his single term in Congress, Stewart continued in federal service within Minnesota. He was appointed surveyor general of Minnesota and served in that capacity from 1879 to 1882, overseeing important aspects of land surveying and administration as settlement and development continued across the state. When his term as surveyor general ended, he returned to Saint Paul and resumed the practice of medicine, maintaining his long-standing professional commitment to public health and medical care in the community he had helped to shape.

Jacob Henry Stewart died in Saint Paul on August 25, 1884. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His career encompassed medicine, municipal leadership, state legislative service, and a term in the United States Congress, reflecting a lifetime of public service during the formative decades of Minnesota’s statehood and the broader post–Civil War era in the United States.