Donald Stewart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| In office November 8, 1978 – January 2, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Maryon Pittman Allen |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah Denton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald Wilbur Stewart (1940-02-08)February 8, 1940 (age 86) Munford, Alabama, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Alabama (BA,LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Service years | 1965 |
Donald Wilbur Stewart (born February 8, 1940) is a former American lawyer who was aUnited States senator fromAlabama from 1978 to 1981. He succeeded Maryon Pittman Allen and was succeeded by Jeremiah Denton.[1] Prior to Stewart's time in the Senate, he served in the Alabama Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.
Stewart was born inMunford, Alabama, and received his early education there and inAnniston. He attended theUniversity of Alabama atTuscaloosa, both as an undergraduate and inlaw school. At the university, he ran a successful campaign for student body president, becoming one of the few to defeat "the Machine" that controls university student politics. He received his law degree in 1965 and subsequently served briefly in theUnited States Army.[2][3]
From 1967 to 1970 Stewart was aUnited States magistrate judge in the Northern District of Alabama.[3][4] In 1970, he was elected to theAlabama House of Representatives and served in that position until 1974, when he was elected to theAlabama State Senate from the20th district, where he served until 1978.[2][3] In the state legislature he developed a reputation for being knowledgeable and aggressive. Among the initiatives he pursued was an effort to reform theAlabama Public Service Commission.[2]
Stewart was elected as a Democrat to fill the unexpired U.S. Senate term ofJames B. Allen, who died in office, and whose seat was held in the interim by Allen's widow,Maryon Pittman Allen. After he defeated Mrs. Allen in the primary, Stewart faced theRepublican nominee, former CongressmanJames D. Martin, who like James Allen was a native ofGadsden. Mrs. Allen had called Stewart "a flaming liberal", and her brother, James Pittman, thereafter formed the group "Conservative Democrats for Martin." Stewart specifically challenged Martin's record when he had served a term in the House from 1965 to 1967. Martin challenged Stewart's commitment to theright-to-work provision of theTaft-Hartley Act of 1947. In his campaign against Stewart, Martin made negative allusions to Stewart's disclosure that in 1958, when he was eighteen, he had undergone treatment for anervous breakdown.[5] Stewart defeated Martin in theelection, 401,852 (55%) to 316,170 (43%).[6]
Stewart took office on November 8, 1978.[3] In his first year as a U.S. senator, he compiled a near-perfect attendance record, introduced twelve bills and was co-sponsor of eighty others.Senate Majority LeaderRobert Byrd appointed him to adeputy whip position, making him the only freshman Senator to serve in party leadership in the96th Congress.[2]
Stewart failed to gain reelection to the Senate in 1980, losing the Democratic primary tostate Public Service CommissionerJim Folsom, Jr. Folsom went on to lose narrowly to RepublicanJeremiah Denton in thegeneral election. Stewart remained in the Senate until January 2, 1981, when he resigned one day before his term expired.[2]
Stewart practices law in Alabama. He was lead attorney on aclass action lawsuit against agricultural biotech giantMonsanto Company for PCB dumping in his hometown of Anniston. The case garnered national attention, including coverage byCBS's60 Minutes. As of 2002, the company had paid out as much as $160 million against various plaintiffs in Alabama, including those represented by Stewart.
He also serves on the advisory board of the University of Alabama's Blackburn Institute.[7]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromAlabama (Class 3) 1978 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Alabama 1978–1981 Served alongside:John Sparkman,Howell Heflin | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
