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STEWARD, Richard Augustus Tucker (1773-1842), of Nottington, nr. Weymouth, Dorset.
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Biography Detail
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Constituency
Dates
Family and Education
b. 1 Feb. 1773, 2nd s. of Gabriel Steward† of Melcombe Regis, and bro. of Gabriel Tucker Steward*. educ. Harrow 1785. m. 12 Mar. 1823, Louisa Henrietta, da. of Edward Morgan of Golden Grove, Flint, 3s. 2da.
Offices Held
Cashier, hawkers and pedlars office until Apr. 1806.
Capt. Dorset militia 1798, maj. 1809, lt.-col. 1812.
Biography
Steward was returned for Weymouth unopposed on a vacancy early in 1806 under the aegis of his elder brother Gabriel, who was restoring the family interest there and was already a Member. Lord Bath informed Lord Sidmouth from Weymouth, 16 Oct. 1806, that
several gentlemen freeholders have said, that they would support Mr Richard Tucker Steward but no other fourth Member proposed by my friends, and I am most unpleasantly situated concerning him. He has given up at my request the small office he held: indeed had he retained it, it would not have been sufficient to have enabled him to live in London and to have attended his duty in Parliament. From everything I have seen of his conduct and every report I have heard he deserves any support your lordship may give him and is strictly determined to attend to your wishes.1
Steward and his brother survived contests in 1806 and 1807.
He was not an active Member. His only known votes were with government, the Whigs listing him ‘against the Opposition’ in 1810. He paired with ministers on the Scheldt inquiry, 30 Mar. 1810, voted with them on the Regency, 1 Jan. 1811, and paired against the repeal of the orders in council, 3 Mar. 1812. His brother Gabriel had vacated his seat with a place in 1810 and Steward was expected to forego his pretensions at Weymouth at the next election, but over this he fell out with Gabriel. Claiming that he had not been consulted in the matter, he stood again in opposition to the Johnstone interest. Government might have bought him off with a place, but had none to give and thought it ‘dangerous’ to contemplate it on the eve of the election.2 He was defeated, and although his petition was successful he left the management of the family pretensions in his brother’s hands thereafter. He died 25 Mar. 1842.
