James Stewart, M.Inst.C.E.

James Stewart was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1832, and was educated at the Perth Academy. After practising for some years as a civil engineer in Perth he came to Auckland in 1859 and entered upon the practice of his profession. Here he was successful in obtaining the award offered for a design for the Auckland waterworks, and in 1862 he was appointed Engineer to the Auckland City Board of Works. After rendering useful service in the Waikato War, he held various public offices and prepared the designs for many important works, and in 1874 the whole of the railway-works in Auckland were placed under his charge as District Engineer. In 1881, owing to the need for retrenchment, he was retired from the public service and recommenced private practice, and for many years was looked upon as the leader of his profession in Auckland, and few important engineering-works were carried out without his opinion being first obtained.

During this strenuous career he still found time to devote his attention to subjects outside his profession, and from the first took an active interest in the proceedings of the Auckland Institute. Mr. Stewart was one of the original members of the Institute, having joined it on its formation in 1868. With two short intervals, he has been a member of the Council since 1871. He was President in 1890, and again in 1901. Since 1903 he has been one of the representatives of the Institute on the Board of Governors. In 1906 he was appointed a Trustee of the Institute, a position which he occupied at the time of his death. His sound practical knowledge and good common-sense were of great service to the Institute, and his opinions were always received with respect. In the Index to the first forty volumes of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute Mr. Stewart's name appears as the author of fifteen communications printed in the Transactions.