Steward 's role in the '' American Baptist '' greatly increased his national reputation . He was elected secretary of the National Baptist convention in St. Louis on August 25 , 1886 , and continued to hold officer positions at numerous later conventions . He was a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis where he supported Benjamin Harrison , who won the nomination but lost the election to Grover Cleveland . In the 1890s he was elected president of the national Afro-American Press Association . In 1896 , as president of the group , Steward was active in supporting the candidacy for president of William McKinley
1892 Republican National Convention
1892 Republican National Convention
William Henry Steward