Charles Stewart, Longest Serving State House Member, Dies

Amid the hustle and bustle of the 93rd General Assembly down in Little Rock, closer to home a historic record setter of a politician has left us, passing on to glory last week.

Charles W. Stewart Jr., whom I always knew as state Representative Charlie Stewart, died at age 93.

He compiled the longest record of service in the state House of Representative in the history of the Arkansas Legislature.

And he was one heck of a gentleman, a quiet, effective in every way, citizen legislator for Fayetteville, Washington County, the Northwest Region and all of the state of Arkansas.

We desperately need more Charlie Stewarts in every corner of every legislative body in this country.

Current state Representative David Whitaker, who represents District 85 in Fayetteville, wrote:

He was …“one of the real giants upon whose shoulder we today stand. Rest well faithful servant.”

Whitaker was not alone in his praise of Stewart.

Former state Rep. Jerry Hunton of Prairie Grove wrote: “I served with him for 8 years and he was one of the best. Honest, hard-working and ready to help whenever asked. He will be missed.”

Upon hearing of him being in the hospital, prior to his death, state Senator Jim Hendren, R-Gravette, posted in a Tweet, a photo of he and Stewart testifying for a bill Hendren needed passed.

“Here was a Democrat in his 35th year helping a freshman Republican House member who is barely 35 years old pass a bill. We need more men like Charlie Stewart in politics today.”

The statistics, he accumulated, are simply outstanding, and he would wave them off when mentioned in his later years.

“I just went down to Little Rock and did the people’s business like they asked me to do every time I put my name on the ballot,” he once told me as a reporter that covered the legislature for the Northwest Arkansas Times.

“I thought that was the job and I tried to always do my best.”

And as usual, Charlie Stewart’s best was, well really, the absolute best in the history of Arkansas. He served 22 consecutive, two-year terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Stewart served under eight different governors, six Democrats and two Republicans, starting with Orval Faubus’ first term in office in 1955 until the second term of Mike Huckabee in 1999.

And he was a practicing attorney back in Washington County, often doing a little probate and chancery court business, but mainly he was the co-owner of Ozark Steel and ran that business in addition to his state legislative chores.

What is absolutely outstanding in that Stewart saw so many changes in state government in his 44 years.

He ran for the state House in the summer and fall of 1955, as veteran House member, Clinton “Deacon” Wade was retiring from the House to run for the State Senate. Back in those days, state House seats were divided up by populations and also cut firmly along county lines.

There were two House members in Washington County in 1954, Wade and William “Bill” Murphy, a local icon in the courtroom defense attorney. The Washington County House District, by its populations in 1955, was a multi-member district. The courts would later change all that to specific geographic districts, cutting across county, city and township lines.

Both Wade and Murphy were exiting the House seats they held. At the 1954 General Election, Stewart and Fred Starr won the two House seats. They were sworn in on Jan. 5 as Gov. Orval E. Faubus gave his first of what would be 12 different inaugural addresses to an always packed House Chamber.

A total of 19 other individuals would serve alongside Stewart in the Arkansas House from Washington County. He also served alongside 14 different state senators.

He served on many panels in the House, most notably his long service on the House Revenue & Tax Committee.

While Stewart served 22 terms, he faced opposition only a few times in his legislative career.

Stewart never lost a political race of his own to represent Washington County.

A 1951 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, Stewart passed the bar and maintained his bar association and law license until his death in 2021, for 70 years.

He was a member, Board member and past President (1996-1999) of the Washington County Historical Society. He was honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Citizen by the WCHS. Stewart had a deep love of local history, and he was a very committed member of the Washington County Historical Society. He and his late wife, Joanne, were vital members of WCHS.

A fine gentleman and a vital mentor to more than four decades of politicians and governors, I will miss him as a friend who always had Arkansas’ best interests at the center of his service.