Liliane M. Stewart

Liliane M. Stewart had a discreet but significant influence on the cultural and artistic life of Montréal and Quebec, as evidenced by the two institutions she chaired and promoted the development of: The Stewart Museum and the Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal – the Château Dufresne – two examples of her contribution to heritage and the development of the arts.

Her philanthropic work extended beyond our borders. In France, the Foundation acquired and restored the Manoir Jacques Cartier in Saint-Malo and turned it into a remembrance museum. In Brouage, in the Charentes-Maritime region, on the impetus of the Foundation, stained glass was installed in Samuel de Champlain’s small native church, commemorating the illustrious founder of Québec City. To recognize Liliane M. Stewart’s dedication to history and culture, the French government made her an Officer of the Ordre des arts et des lettres. In recognition for her contribution to the conservation of Venice, Rome’s Societa Dante Alighieri bestowed its gold medal on her, as Quebec honorary president.

Liliane M. Stewart also had an interest in improving public health and offered her support to a number of projects, such as a building at the Université de Montréal devoted to research and teaching in nutrition, acquiring advanced equipment for hospitals, along with the development of cytology and the training of specialists at Montréal’s École de cytologie.

Liliane Stewart was an honorary colonel of the Queen’s York Rangers, 1^st American Regiment. She was also an honorary colonel of the Compagnie Franche de la Marine and the Old 78^th Fraser Highlanders of Montréal. She was a lifetime governor and chair of trustees of the Société d’archéologie et de numismatique de Montréal, lifetime governor of the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association, member of the McGill University Board of Governors and honorary member of the board of the Hôpital l’Enfant-Jésus de Québec and the Société des musées québécois.

The decorations and marks of esteem and friendship she received constitute landmarks in a career dedicated to the common good. Honours Liliane M. Stewart received include being made an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem and Dame of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the medal of the City of Paris and the Société historique de Montréal medal. Nova Scotia’s Université Sainte-Anne awarded her an honorary doctorate in history.

Liliane M. Stewart died in 2014. She was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in the Cultural category in 1989 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.