William R. Stewart (October 29, 1864 – April 5, 1958) was a lawyer and state legislator in Ohio. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives. An African-American, he was instrumental in the passage of anti-lynching legislation and also sponsored bills providing pensions to civil servants. He was the first African American to practice law in Youngstown, Ohio. During his two terms as a lawmaker and almost seven decades as a private attorney, Stewart participated in projects and policies designed to improve the condition of African Americans. Toward the end of his life, he was publicly honored for his role in promoting interracial cooperation. Stewart retained his law practice until failing health and advanced age intervened. At the time of his death, he was one of the most prominent figures in Youngstown's legal community. Early years Stewart was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, the son of Lemuel A. Stewart, a bricklayer. The family moved to Youngstown when Stewart was still a young child. Despite the elder Stewart's expressed desire that his son follow in his trade, William Stewart pursued his studies at Youngstown's Rayen School, where he earned a diploma in 1883. After graduating from high school, Stewart became a baggage master with the old P.C. & P. Railroad. He went on to read law in the Cincinnati office of Laurin D. Woodworth, a two-term congressman, and Benjamin Franklin Wirt, a former state senator. During this time, Stewart developed a brisk sideline helping Civil War veterans cut through government red tape to secure their pensions. Legal career Upon the sale of his practice, Stewart acquired enough money to enter Cincinnati Law School, where he graduated in 1886. He returned to Youngstown and established law offices in a downtown landmark known as "the old Diamond block". In 1895, he was nominated for state representative at the Mahoning County Republican convention. On October 14, 1895, an editorial in The Youngstown Telegram accused Stewart's Democratic opponent, James B. Chambers, of employing racist rhetoric in his campaign. "This argument is not in good taste for the reason that we are not living in the far South where the colored man is not allowed by Democrats to exercise the rights of a free American citizen", the editorial stated. "We are in the North, where all men are equal". The editorial outlined Stewart's qualifications for public office and indicated he had "won the esteem and good