A. Wesley Stuart
Andrew Wesley Stuart (February 11, 1902 – November 29, 1984) was a Canadian commercial fisherman and politician from the Province of New Brunswick.
Wesley Stuart | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Charlotte | |
| In office June 11, 1945 – March 31, 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Burton M. Hill |
| Succeeded by | Caldwell Stewart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 11, 1902 Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | November 29, 1984 (aged 82) Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Spouse(s) | Marguerite Graham (1899–1961) |
| Residence | St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Profession | Commercial fisherman |
Known by Wes, he was born at Deer Island, New Brunswick, the son of Andrew Holmes Stuart and Laura Gertrude Thompson. Raised in a place where fishing was a major part of the economy, in addition to fishing for a living, he worked as a government fishing industry inspector.
In the 1945 Canadian federal election, Stuart was elected as the Liberal Party's candidate for the riding of Charlotte. He was reelected in 1949, 1953, and again in 1957.
Wesley Stuart lived on the bank of the St. Croix River and as was common for residents, he frequently travelled across the border to Maine. A proponent of free trade between Canada and the United States, in 1951 Stuart received much publicly in both countries for his statements in the House of Commons of Canada on cross-border smuggling. Time magazine reported that he declared he had "been a smuggler all his life—and intended to keep on being one," adding that he "never came through [the border] in my lifetime that I did not smuggle something." Stuart's straight talk met with wide approval by his constituents and in the ensuing federal election, he won his third term in office with the largest majority of his political career.
In the 1958 electoral sweep by the Progressive Conservatives under John Diefenbaker, Stuart lost his seat to Caldwell Stewart. While remaining active in politics, he was the runner up to Louis Robichaud in a bid for leader of the provincial Liberals later in 1958 and went on to serve as the New Brunswick Liberal Party President from 1960 to 1963.
On October 23, 1924, he married Julia Marguerite Graham (1899–1961) . The couple had three children (Janet Saint, Roy Graham "Bud" Stuart, and Jacqueline (Jackie) Smith). Wesley Stuart died in 1984. He and his wife are buried in the St. Andrews, New Brunswick Rural Cemetery.
| Preceded by Harry A. Corey 1953-1959 |
New Brunswick Liberal Party President 1960–1963 |
Succeeded by Daniel A. Riley 1963-1964 |