Henry C. Stuart was born on January 18, 1855 at Wytheville in Wythe County. He graduated from Emory and Henry College and studied law for a year at the University of Virginia. After leaving the university, he began to raise livestock. In time, he became well-known as the largest livestock breeder east of the Mississippi River.

Stuart became involved in politics in 1901, when he served as a member of the State Constitutional Convention. The following year, he was appointed to the State Corporation Commission, serving until 1908. In 1913, he ran on the Democratic ticket and was elected Governor from 1914-1918. Serving during World War I, Stuart gave priority to preparing the state's war machinery. He was a member of the price-fixing committee of the War Industries Board. In 1917, President Wilson appointed him Chairman of the National Agriculture Advisory Committee.