Obituary: William H Stewart

Abstract

Of all the tactics used against him by tobacco interests, former US Surgeon General William H Stewart probably least expected this one: charges of shrubbery assassination. At a late 1960s Congressional hearing on smoking and health, Stewart recalled in an interview how a tobaccorich lawmaker "came in to the hearing room with a tobacco plant in a pot and he said, 'this man is trying to kill this beautiful plant'." It was up to Stewart and others to convince smokers that, in fact, the "beautiful plant" was killing them. The campaign pitted public health against one of the oldest and most powerful US economic interests. Stewart was a notable leader in the effort.