John A. Stewart & Jessie Mabel Henderson

Member of Parliament, lawyer, entrepreneur: his wife ensured that he would be forever memorialized in the beautiful John A. Stewart Park that is an integral part of downtown Perth.

The Oct. 13, 1922 issue of The Perth Courier said about John Stewart: “A life-long resident of Perth, has gone to his reward and an aching void is left behind. He was taken ill on June 16th and entered the Hospital on July 19th. Mrs. Stewart was at the bed-side when the end came. Although not unexpected, when the news of his death soon became wide-spread the people of Perth experienced a sensation of keen sorrow that such a sterling character should be snatched so soon from his picturesque career. His niche in the business life of Perth will be difficult to fill, his place in the hearts of men will never be occupied by another, his smile, his friendship and his loyalty to his town and country will forever be missed.”

“His formal education took place in Perth and Toronto, and he practiced law in Perth from 1895 until his death. He had been President of the Henry K. Wampole Co. Ltd., the Andrew Jergens Company Ltd., and the Perth Shoe Company. Elected to the House of Commons in 1918, he served as Minister of Railways in the Meighen Cabinet.”

It was a sad day in 1956 when Perth citizens learned that Jessie Stewart had passed away at her home, known as Thuresson Place. She was in her eighty-eighth year. The house was originally constructed in 1878 by her father, Jesse T. Henderson, on Drummond Street West near Boulton Street, and is now known as the Perth Manor.

The Perth Courier of April 12, 1956, mourned the death with the headline: “Mrs. John A. Stewart Laid to Rest in Elmwood Cemetery.” The obituary notes some key facts that tell much about the generosity of Stewart: “In 1947 Mrs. Stewart gave to the Municipal Corporation of the Town of Perth, in memory of her late husband, John A. Stewart, Perth, Park lands comprising about ten acres in the centre of the Town, intercepted by the Tay Canal and the Tay River, and in 1948 gave to the Board of Education of the Town of Perth eleven acres of land for the erection of a new Public School which is known as The Stewart School.”

It is best to quote directly from the obituary, in the language of the time, to get a sense of the magnitude of Perth’s loss: “Jessie M. Stewart, O.B.E., … lived in Perth all her lifetime and while her chief devotion was to the Town and her Church, she found time to serve in the national field, having been an executive member of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, culminating as National President for a term of two years, member of the Canadian Council of Child and Family Welfare, and member of the Board of Shernfold School, Ottawa.” 

She was a Life Director of the Great War Memorial Hospital of Perth District, Honourary President of the Women’s Hospital Aid Association, Honourary President of the Perth Museum, and District Commissioner of the Girl Guides among numerous other local groups she patronized.