James Stewart (Irish politician)

James Stewart
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland
In office 1984–2001
Personal details
Born	(1934-11-23)November 23, 1934 Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Died	January 26, 2013(2013-01-26) (aged 78)

James Stewart (23 November 1934 – 26 January 2013), known as Jimmy Stewart, was an activist from Northern Ireland.

Stewart was born in Ballymena to a Protestant family, and studied at the Ballymena Academy.^[1] He became a Queen's Scout and took an interest in his Scottish heritage. He trained as a teacher at Stranmillis University College, and there met active communist Edwina Menzies, the two marrying in 1954.^[2]

In 1955, Stewart joined the Communist Party of Northern Ireland, initially while teaching at Hemsworth Square School and then Somerdale School on the Shankill Road. He and Menzies attended the World Youth Festival in 1957,^[2] and in the same year he became general secretary of the party's youth section.^[3] He rapidly became a key figure in the party, editing Unity, its newspaper, completing the drafting of the party's programme, Ireland's Path to Socialism,^[2] and becoming its Deputy General Secretary in 1964.^[3]

The Communist Party of Northern Ireland merged into the Communist Party of Ireland in 1970, and Stewart left teaching to become a full-time party worker, remaining Deputy General Secretary of the new group.^[3] In this role, he was active in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, Belfast Trades Council.

He stood in the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election in Belfast West, but took last place with only 123 votes,^[4] and came bottom of the poll for Belfast City Council at the 1977, 1981 and 1985 local elections.^[5][6]

Stewart rose to become general secretary of the party in 1984, serving until 2001, when he instead became its chairman.^[3]

References

1. "Top Irish communist Jimmy Stewart dies", Belfast Telegraph, 29 January 2013.
2. Lynda Walker, "James Stewart: Always working for unity" Archived 2016-06-11 at the Wayback Machine, Morning Star, 25 February 2013.
3. "Stewart profile, Compendium of Communist Biography; accessed 16 May 2016.
4. "West Belfast 1973-82", Northern Ireland Elections
5. "The Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Belfast Archived 1 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine", Northern Ireland Elections
6. "Local Government Elections 1985 - 1989: Belfast Archived 18 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine", Northern Ireland Elections

Party political offices
Preceded by Michael O'Riordan	General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland 1984–2001	Succeeded by Eugene McCartan
Preceded by Eugene McCartan	National Chairperson of the Communist Party of Ireland 2001–2004	Succeeded by Lynda Walker