| 250px | |
| Nationality |  American
|
| Born | 16 June 1924 |
| Cortland, New York, United States | |
| Died | 20 November 2019 |
| Ithaca, New York, United States | |
| World Stock Car Championship | |
|---|---|
| 2 races run over 1 season(s). | |
| Rookie Season | 1951 |
| Team(s) | Schuyler Stewart |
| Championships | 0 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Top 5s | 1 |
| Top 10s | 1 |
| Best Finish | 3rd |
| First Start | 1951 Icebreaker Sweepstakes |
| Last Start | 1951 NSCS Race 02 |
| WSCC Canon Driver | |
Schuyler Alexander Hamilton Stewart (16 June 1924 - 20 November 2019) was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and race car driver who raced in the World Stock Car Championship from 1951 until 1966, primarily part-time. Stewart was a distant relative of founding father Alexander Hamilton through his brother-in-law, Philip J. Schuyler.
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Stewart was born in Cortland, New York to John Phillip Stewart (1899 - 1947) and Angelica June Schuyler (1902 - 1975). He graduated from the Cascadilla School in 1942 and was accepted to Cornell University; he deferred his enrollment to serve in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, and was part of the Allied landing at Normandy. Upon his exit from the military, he began his legal studies at Cornell. Stewart began racing at local short tracks some time after his father's death in 1947 from a heart attack.
Racing Career[edit | edit source]
World Stock Car Championship[edit | edit source]
Endurance Racing[edit | edit source]
Indianapolis 500[edit | edit source]
Legal Career[edit | edit source]
Stewart was a prominent civil rights attorney in upstate New York, and took part in the Freedom Rides organized by CORE, as well as the marches on Montgomery and Washington D.C.
Roy Lewis Lawsuit[edit | edit source]
Stewart's highest-profile case as an attorney was representing driver Roy Lewis, whose racial discrimination lawsuit against the American Stock Car Tour (ASCT) in 1972 became a landmark case in the history of motorsports.
Stewart represented Lewis and eight other drivers who sued the ASCT, alleging that team owners, track promoters, and series officials conspired to keep black drivers and crews from participating in the series. The lawsuit hinged on four legal arguments made by Stewart before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia:
- Motorsports sanctioning bodies had a duty to enforce civil rights protections among its constituent teams, similar to how Major League Baseball and the National Football League were required to do so for their sports.
- ASCT officials and track promoters, along with a significant portion of owners, acted as a cartel to enforce an atmosphere that was hostile to the participation of black drivers.
- The tracks' sudden de facto ban of black drivers was solely a result of the sanctioning body; Stewart cited several tracks that had banned black drivers that had done so solely after switching from the NSCS to the ASCT.
- The ban of black drivers was not, as the series officials claimed it, at the discretion of the teams and promoters, but in fact a policy at the very top of the organization.
Stewart's arguments swayed the three-judge panel, and formed the legal framework for how motorsports sanctioning bodies were expected to enforce employment rights legislation among their teams and promoting partners.
Olivanti Motorsports Scandal[edit | edit source]
Stewart would later testify before Congress in the wake of the Olivanti Motorsports scandal.
During his testimony, he stated that, in his legal opinion, the World Stock Car Championship organization could not be reasonably expected to perform criminal background checks on prospective owners to the level that would be able to uncover involvement in organized criminal activity. He further clarified his belief that the responsibility of the sanctioning body, with respect to its teams, was established in Roy as solely with respect to ensuring the teams are following applicable employment law. Stewart concluded that the sanctioning body was only responsible for activity that affected stock car racing, stating that while criminal activity "could be used to fund motorsports activities, unless it has direct action on the race track or within the team's race shop, the sanctioning body does not bear responsibility for investigating and punishing it."
Legal experts believe that Stewart's testimony was the deciding factor in Congress' decision to close the investigation into motorsports without further investigation, accepting his legal argument with respect to the responsibilities of the sanctioning body.
Later Life[edit | edit source]
Stewart would remain in the public spotlight through much of the latter half of the twentieth century; the increasingly international profile of stock car racing resulted in Stewart's legal expertise being sought by drivers, teams, and series officials alike, as well as appearances in the media to provide legal insight.
Stewart retired from his law firm in 2009 at the age of 85; his eldest son, John Schuyler Stewart, now runs the practice alongside his half-brother, Schuyler II.
Personal Life[edit | edit source]
Stewart was married three times. He married his first wife, Johanna Vanburen, in 1946. The couple had one daughter, Roberta Valerie Stewart, in 1947 before divorcing the following year. He married his second wife, Hannah Gregory, in 1950, and had three children with her: John Schuyler Stewart (born 1952), Phillip Washington Stewart (1955), and Elizabeth Margaret Stewart (1957). The couple divorced within a year of Elizabeth's birth. Stewart would marry his third and final wife, Anne Fillmore, in 1962. The pair had two children, Schuyler Alexander Hamilton Stewart Jr. (1964) and Lauren Caroline Stewart (1967).
Two of Stewart's children, John and Schuyler Jr, followed him into law and joined his practice.
Anne died of lung cancer in 2007, shortly before the couple's 45th wedding anniversary.
Death[edit | edit source]
Schuyler died peacefully at his home on 20 November 2019 at age 95.