Samuel Alexander Stewart

Stewart was born to an Irish family in Philadelphia in 1826. He was by profession a trunk maker but his interest was in plants. His mother died in America and his father returned to Ireland in 1837.[1]

Stewart left school at eleven initially worked with his fathers at a distillers. Eventually both of them worked in his family's trunk-making business. Whilst we worked Stewart had a very thin education from the local Sunday school.[1]

He attended Ralph Tate's science classes from 1860 and he was a founder member of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club.[2] He became an assistant curator of the Belfast Natural History Society Museum Eleven years later in 1891 he was appointed Curator. He died after falling whilst crossing the road.[1]

Samuel Alexander Stewart is best known for editing Stewart, S.A. & Corry, Thomas, Hughes. 1888 The flora of the north-east of Ireland. Corry (1860 - 1883) drowned in Lough Gill, Co. Sligo and Stewart completed the Flora alone.[2]

• Robert Lloyd Praeger Some Irish naturalists: A Biographical Note-book W.Tempest, Dundalgan Press, Dundalk, 1949

Hackney, P. (ed) 1992 Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland Third Edition pp8 - 9. ISBN 0-85389-446-9

• Herbaria United 118 digital images of herbarium specimens collected by Mr Samuel Alexander Stewart
  • Irish Natural History Literature partial bibliography