Sir Alexander Stuart (21 March 1824 – 16 June 1886) was Premier of New South Wales from 5 January 1883 to 7 October 1885.
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Early years
Stuart was born at Edinburgh, the son of Alexander Stuart and his wife Mary, née McKnight. Stuart was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and attended the University of Edinburgh, but did not graduate. On leaving school Stuart worked in merchant's office at Leith and at Glasgow. Then Stuart worked as manager of the North of Ireland Linen Mills. In 1845 Stuart worked for the mercantile and banking house Carr, Tagore and Company in Calcutta, India. Stuart went to New Zealand in 1850.
Australia
On 9 October 1851 Stuart arrived in Sydney aboard the Scotia.
Stuart returned to Sydney in 1852 and joined the Bank of New South Wales as assistant secretary, in 1853 he was assistant inspector. In 1854 Stuart had become secretary and inspector of branches with a salary of £1200. On 10 November 1853 Suart married Christiana Eliza Wood. In 1854 Stuart investigated the embezzlement of funds from the bank's Ballarat branch by its manager, George D. Lang, son of John Dunmore Lang, who was convicted and sentenced to five years hard labour as a result. John Dunmore Lang published an attack on Stuart and the bank, The Convicts' Bank; or a Plain Statement of the Case of Alleged Embezzlement, and as a result Lang was charged and convicted of criminal libel and served six months in prison.