Organist. Official city organist for the city of San Diego from 1915-1932 where he played the Spreckels organ in Balboa Park. He was also an internationally famous for his compositions and organ playing. In childhood he served in a church as choir boy for 2 years. He studied piano and organ and was proficient enough to be offered the position of organist in a parish church in London when he was 11 years old. This marked the beginning of his career as organist in various London churches. in 1886 he began 15 years service as organist in San Francisco churches. In San Francisco he became a member of the famed Bohemian Club, for whose summer festivals in the redwood groves he wrote many musical plays. In 1898 University of the Pacific conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Music upon him and in 1900 he won the gold medal for composition from the American Guild of Organists, of which organization he was one of the founders. In 1901 he went to Boston where he was organist for 2 years in Trinity Church, after having bee solo organist at the 1901 Buffalo exposition, scene of the McKinley assasination. He returned to San Francisco in 1902 to start a 12 years of service as organist of St.Dominic's Church, Buh & Steiner. He was called to San Diego in 1915 where he accepted the appointment as organist of the great new outdoor organ in Balboa Park. He arrived there with a great reputation as organist, teacher, composer. When he came to San Diego in 195 he lacked 18 months of having been a church organist for 50 years, so he applied for and received the position as organist at St. Joseph's Church, San Diego, which post he held until he had rounded out a full half century as a church organist, in churches of every denomination "from a Unitarian church to a Jewish synagogue." With this achievement he retired from church playing and devoted all his time in active playing to the arranging and performing of the daily recitals in the park. In 1921, the year in which he composed music for the Bohemian Grove play "St. John of Nepomuk," the City of New York presented to him the official city flag "for distinguished ability as a recital organist." After his establishment in San Diego, Dr. Stewart devoted much of his time to composing liturgical music, adding much to the literature of sacred music for the Catholic Church, to which he became a member 20 years previous. The climax of this worthy service to the Church was the great honor he received. Pope Pius XI in 1930 conferred upon him the Decoration of Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. This after the pope permitted Dr. Stewart to dedicate his Requiem Mass to his holiness. The mass, his last great composition was written in memory of his late wife, and was played at his funeral. In late 1932 the San Diego city council in an 'economy cut' had dispensed with the services of a city organist, and he presented what he thought was his last outdoor concert. The council however, revised its dictum and retained Dr. Stewart on a schedule of 3 concerts a week, but this only lasted a few weeks as he became ill. His service at the Spreckels organ in Balboa park established a world's record for municipal organists, averaging 250 recitals each year for 17 and a half years. In his years in San Diego he was also a public figure, outside of musical activities. For two consecutive terms he was mayor of Coronado and he served as trustee there for 3 years. His 75th birthday in 1929 was celebrated publicly when several music organizations presented a program of is works.