Nathaniel Stewart
*Nathaniel Stewart was born on this date in 1922. He was a Black soldier and activist. Stewart was from Ft Motte, S.C., the son of Willie and Emily Stewart. As a young man, he served his country in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman, rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 99th Pursuit Squadron. He served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Corps' 553rd Fighter Squadron in Selfridge, Michigan, from 1942 to 1946. Stewart became the first African American to hold a senior position at Philadelphia General Hospital as Director of Pharmacy.
His wife, Viola DuVall Stewart, also made history in the field of educational justice in South Carolina in 1945, when her equal pay case became law. He and his wife supported Dr. Martin L. King by attending the "I Have a Dream Speech." Congressman James Clyburn bestowed a congressional record in their honor in 2010. The Stewarts were honored by being featured in the 2020 South Carolina Department of Education African American Calendar.
He once survived a plane crash while serving in the military. His family donated his parachute to the African American Historical Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nathaniel and Viola Stewart had two sons, Dr. Louis Stewart and Nathaniel Stewart, Jr., and five grandchildren. Nathan Stewart died on April 6, 2000, at the age of 77.
