Walter “Joe” Stewart began his career as a Senate page in 1951. He continued to work at various jobs in the Senate while he attended college and law school. In 1963 Stewart was named as counsel to the Senate Appropriations Committee, and in 1971 he became chief legislative assistant to Democratic Whip Robert C. Byrd. When Byrd became majority leader in 1977, Stewart became his administrative assistant for floor operations and then served as Democratic party secretary from 1979 to 1981. In 1987, on Byrd’s recommendation, he was elected secretary of the Senate. During his seven-year tenure, Joe Stewart brought many innovations to the Office of the Secretary, including creation of the Office of Employment Counsel in 1993, and guided the Senate into the age of the Internet with the development of the Senate’s first website, which premiered in 1995. Of particular interest to Stewart was the preservation of the Capitol’s historic spaces. “I have witnessed personally the energies and efforts that Joe Stewart has expended in behalf of the restoration and enhancement of this great Capitol building,” recalled Senator Byrd. For Joe Stewart, those efforts were a labor of love that continued into retirement.
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