Charles David Stewart was born 18 March 1868 in Zanesville, Ohio. The family moved to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1881. Stewart attended the Fourth Ward School. After his
mother decided he should become a preacher, he attended Wayland Academy, in Beaver
Dam, Wisconsin. Stewart, however, was more interested in life on the Missouri and
Mississippi rivers. Once Stewart had saved enough money, he found work in St. Louis,
Missouri on a riverboat. He wrote about his observations as he traveled between St.
Louis and Fort Benton, Montana. A later trip to New Orleans, Louisiana inspired part
of his book Partners of Providence, a favorite of President Grover Cleveland.
When he returned to Milwaukee, there was little interest in his writings so Stewart
found work with Marr and Richards where he learned the art of book engraving. He
then took this skill and applied it to a position with Rand McNally Co. in Chicago.
At the age of 26, he was a columnist and reporter for the Chicago Daily News.
Stewart continued writing and in 1905, his first novel, The Fugitive Blacksmith, was
published. From there Stewart went on to write magazine articles, over 50 of which
were published in the Century and Atlantic magazines. He was a scholar of
Shakespeare, focusing on cruxes of Shakespeare. He also wrote poems and short
stories, many of which were inspired by Milwaukee.
Stewart lived on Pike Lake, near Hartford, Wisconsin. He also spent time with his
widowed sister, Mrs. Stella Davies in Centralia, Washington. He died 27 October
1960.
