The Thousandth Man: A Biography of James McGregor Stewart

Laurie C.C. Stanley-Blackwell is an associate professor of history at
St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and the co-author of
Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources (which can be found at
http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/blackwell.html).

When Pictou native James McGregor Stewart (1889–1955) was stricken
with poliomyelitis as an infant, his future looked bleak. Barry
Cahill’s legal biography reveals a very different outcome. The author
charts the meteoric rise of this self-made, small-town boy who reached
the summit of his profession as a corporate lawyer. Stewart was carried
to the top by his remarkable intelligence, work ethic, ambition and
business acumen, as well as his refusal to allow his physical disability
to impede him.

As a lawyer, Stewart set himself a grueling pace. He argued landmark
cases before the Supreme Court and Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council. He served as president of the Canadian Bar Association, senior
counsel to the Royal Commission on Dominion–Provincial Relations,
wartime coal administrator, and director and vice-president of the Royal
Bank. “The Boss” also advanced the fortunes of Harris-Henry-Stewart
as Atlantic Canada’s premier law firm, a reputation bolstered by its
extensive corporate affiliations. By the 1920s, Stewart was a force to
be reckoned with in backrooms and boardrooms as he parlayed his regional
reputation into a national one. He mingled with Canada’s business and
financial moguls, overseeing mergers and expansions, brokering political
deals, and proffering legal advice.

At the time of his death, Stewart was the region’s “most powerful
law-and-business figure,” boasting no less than 45 directorships.
Cahill takes us through the twists and turns of Stewart’s involvement
with Acadia Sugar, Dosco, Mersey Paper Company Limited, Royal Securities
Corporation, and Montreal Light, Heat & Power. He was also a potent
political force within the inner circles of the provincial and federal
Conservative parties. During the 1920s, he was the “chief arbiter”
of political patronage in Nova Scotia, although as Cahill demonstrates,
he could be a “tactical” bipartisan when the need arose. Stewart was
the consummate deal-maker and kingmaker, cultivating and exerting
private power in an invisible, behind-the-scenes way. He did nothing by
half measure. As a bibliophile, he amassed a world-class collection of
Kipling letters, manuscripts, and printed editions.

Cahill’s biography demonstrates meticulous research and impressive
scholarship. At times, however, the author scripts a somewhat
implausible role for Stewart as the incorruptible titan. As well, the
book’s thematic apparatus occasionally hampers its chronological flow.
These quibbles aside, Cahill argues convincingly that Stewart’s claim
to fame is justly deserved. He helped pioneer corporate law as the
domain of elite lawyers and facilitated the “corporatization” of
Maritime industry. Equally remarkable, this multifaceted man remained a
steadfast Nova Scotian, resisting the impulse to join the tide of
outmigrating Maritimers. Although he lived on the periphery, his talent
and reputation transcended geography, taking him to the very centre of
Canadian power.