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 byBurton M. Hill
Succeeded byCaldwell Stewart
Personal details
Born(1902-02-11)February 11, 1902
Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada
DiedNovember 29, 1984(1984-11-29) (aged 82)
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Political partyLiberal Party of Canada
SpouseMarguerite Graham (1899–1961)
Residence(s)St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada
ProfessionCommercial 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.

Electoral history

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1958 Canadian federal election: Charlotte
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Caldwell Stewart 5,756 52.6 +5.2
Liberal Wesley Stuart 5,806 47.4 -5.2
Total valid votes 11,562 100.0
1957 Canadian federal election: Charlotte
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wesley Stuart 6,393 52.6 +0.2
Progressive Conservative Lorne B. Groom 5,756 47.4 +3.3
Total valid votes 12,149 100.0
1953 Canadian federal election: Charlotte
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wesley Stuart 6,155 52.4 +2.2
Progressive Conservative Hardy N. Ganong 5,180 44.1 -5.4
Co-operative Commonwealth Tom William Jones 416 3.5 *
Total valid votes 11,751 100.0
1949 Canadian federal election: Charlotte
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wesley Stuart 6,197 50.2 +0.1
Progressive Conservative Hardy N. Ganong 6,139 49.8 -0.1
Total valid votes 12,336 100.0
1945 Canadian federal election: Charlotte
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wesley Stuart 5,486 50.1 -8.0
Progressive Conservative Chauncey Randall Pollard 5,456 49.9 +8.0
Total valid votes 10,942 100.0

References

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Preceded by New Brunswick Liberal Party President
1960–1963
Succeeded by