Stuart was born in Philadelphia in 1853. At age 13, he ended his formal schooling and took a job as a bookkeeper for the book wholesaler W.A. Leary. He rose to attain a controlling interest in the company. By 1882, Stuart had become president of the state Republican Party. In 1886, he won a seat on Philadelphia City Council. In 1891, Stuart successfully ran for Mayor of Philadelphia. He quickly gained a reputation as a no-nonsense official who would take a hardline approach against corruption. He uncovered impropriety within the city treasurer's office, resulting in the arrest of Treasurer John Bardsley and a complete overhaul in budgetary control procedures. He also fired the public safety director for accepting bribes and won a hard fought battle with the private streetcar lines that forced these entities to help defray the cost of street paving. Upon completion of his mayoral term in 1896, he won an election to return to city council.
Stuart was known as The Governor Who Cares following his investigation of scandals involving the building of the Pennsylvania capitol. The investigation resulted in the prosecution and conviction of four individuals. At that time, the Governor became known as a sharp-eyed overseer of the public good, and had a habit of involving himself in the operations of many state agencies. His reforms included concentrating power in the executive office and abolishing a number of redundant state boards and commissions, replacing them with a single official who was held responsible for results. The Philadelphia Bulletin supported the Governor's reform efforts stating,
There has probably never been a governor of Pennsylvania who has employed the veto power so extensively in dealing with the bills of a single legislative session as Governor Stuart has in the pastthirty days. He has prevented scores of crude, ill-considered... bills from becoming laws and he has reduced the improvident appropriation to the extent of more than twenty million dollars. In the midst of all the vetoing it has been difficult for any one to challenge the justice of the governor's judgement. Every veto has rested on a sound reason in the public interest.
Among the bills he vetoed was one for the building of a statewide system of state roads, a cause he supported but chose to sacrifice for fiscal prudence and accountability. Stuart was, however, able to achieve several of his central legislative priorities. He secured labor laws that restricted children under age 14 from working in heavy industry. He also improved oversight of the healthcare field and authorized the construction of the Mont Alto Sanitorium to treat tuberculous patients. Stuart Hall on the campus of Penn State University is named in honor of Governor Stuart. He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
