George H. Steuart (planter)
| George Hume Steuart | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Annapolis | |
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In office 1759–1763 |
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| Preceded by | John Brice, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Dulany |
| Colonel of the Horse Militia | |
|
Assumed office 1753 |
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| Deputy Secretary of Maryland | |
|
In office 1755–1756 |
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| Judge of the Land Office | |
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In office 1755–1775 |
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| Succeeded by | St George Peale |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c1700 Argaty, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died | 1784 Perthshire, Scotland |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Digges |
| Relations | Major General George H. Steuart (grandson) Richard Sprigg Steuart (grandson) Brigadier General George H. Steuart (great-grandson) |
| Residence | Dodon |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Physician, planter, politician, soldier |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
George Hume Steuart, (1700–1784) was a Scottish physician, tobacco planter, and Loyalist politician in colonial Maryland. Born in Perthshire, Steuart emigrated to Maryland in around 1721, where he benefited from proprietarial patronage and was appointed to a number of colonial offices, eventually becoming a wealthy landowner with estates in both Maryland and Scotland. However, he was forced by the outbreak of the American Revolution to decide whether to remain loyal to the Crown or to throw in his lot with the American rebels. In 1775 Steuart sailed to Scotland, deciding at age 75 that "he could not turn rebel in his old age". He remained there until his death in 1784.
Steuart was born in Argaty, Perthshire (now Stirling), in around 1695–1700, the second son of George Steuart and Mary Hume. His family were members of the Balquhidder Stewart clan, descendants of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, executed by King James I of Scotland in 1425.
It is likely that Steuart spoke both Gaelic and English. According to the Old Statistical Account of 1799, Scottish Gaelic was the language of the "common people" of Balquhidder and the surrounding area, although English would have been spoken in the "low country", around Stirling. This would in fact have been the Scots language of the Stirlingshire area, rather than Standard English.
Steuart's elder brother David stood to inherit the family estates, and Steuart studied medicine, receiving his MD at the University of Edinburgh. In 1721 he emigrated to Annapolis, in the colony of Maryland, where he settled and established a medical practice.
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