After he moved to Minnesota at the age of twenty-six, Jacob Henry Stewart accumulated many titles: doctor, mayor, postmaster, state senator, state surgeon general, US congressman, and state surveyor general. But he remained known later in life for his service during the Civil War, when he earned praise for his work as a surgeon assigned to the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Jacob Henry Stewart was born in Clermont, New York, on January 15, 1829. He moved with his parents to Peekskill, where he attended the common schools and graduated from Phillips Academy. He attended Yale College to study medicine and graduated from the University Medical College of New York City in 1851, returning to Peekskill afterward to practice medicine.
Stewart moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1855 and became the medical officer of Ramsey County in 1856. He married Katharine Sweeny (also identified in documents as Catharine and Kate), whose family came from Philadelphia. Their marriage certificate was signed and witnessed by Anna Jenks Ramsey (also from Philadelphia), the wife of Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey, on October 1, 1857. The Stewarts had three children: Ursula, Jacob Henry Jr., and Robert.
During the Civil War, Dr. Stewart served as a surgeon in the Union Army after enlisting as a member of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. During its first engagement, the First Battle of Bull Run, on July 21, 1861, the regiment suffered the highest casualty rate of any Union regiment involved. When Stewart stayed on the field after the battle had ended to care for the wounded of both the First Minnesota and the Confederacy, he was taken prisoner and surrendered his sword.
News of Stewart’s action at Bull Run reached General P. G. T. Beauregard, the Confederate commander, and inspired him to return Stewart's weapon. Beauregard stated, "Such an act denotes not only bravery but is most unusual at this time. I, therefore, on acknowledgment of this act, return to you your sword."
Stewart was held in Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Not knowing his status, Governor Ramsey filled the void in the regiment by appointing Dr. Daniel Hand to the post of regiment surgeon.
After receiving a conditional parole from prison, Dr. Stewart arrived in Washington, DC, in mid-August. From there, he was brought back to Minnesota, where he became post surgeon at Fort Snelling.
The men of the First Minnesota began holding reunions shortly after the war's end, and Dr. Stewart was elected the group's president in 1867. On July 12, 1870, he joined the Union veteran fraternal organization called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and became a member of William Acker Post 21 in St. Paul.
Before the war, Stewart had held multiple public offices, including Ramsey County medical officer (1856); state surgeon general (1857–63); and state senator (1858–59). After returning to Minnesota as a veteran, he reentered politics and raised his profile, serving four terms as the mayor of St. Paul (1864–65; 1868–69; 1872–73; and 1873–75) and one as a US congressman (1878–79). He was the majority-Democratic city of St. Paul’s first Republican mayor. During this time, Stewart also served as US Postmaster at St. Paul, a title he held from 1865–70.
Stewart continued to practice medicine after the war. He formed a partnership with Charles A. Wheaton, who had graduated from Harvard Medical University. In 1872, the Ramsey County Board of Control authorized the purchase of Stewart's mansion to serve as a hospital, and in 1873 it was established as the St. Paul City and Ramsey County Hospital. After two name changes, it became Regions Hospital in 1977.
In 1874, the Stewarts moved to 50 Irvine Park, near the home of Alexander Ramsey and his family. A fire destroyed parts of the original building in 1980, but the overall structure survived and retained some of its historic character.
Stewart died in St. Paul on August 24, 1884, at fifty-five years of age. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul. In 1928, during the construction of the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel, Ursula and Charles Wheaton donated three stained glass windows above the altar as a memorial to Stewart. The first panel shows St. Luke, the physician; the lower medallion shows surgeons caring for the wounded.