Stead was born in Embleton on 5 July 1849, the son of Rev. W. Stead, a Congregational Minister. He was educated at Silcoates School, Wakefield and in 1873 he married Emma L. Wilson, and they had six children. Stead began his working life as an apprentice at a merchant’s office in Newcastle-on-Tyne, when he was 14. At the age of 22, he became the editor of the "Northern Echo" in Darlington, 1871 - 1880. He was the assistant editor of the "Pall Mall Gazette" 1880 -1883, and its editor 1883 -1889. In 1885 he exposed the ease of acquiring a prostitute in London by purchasing a 13 year old, Eliza Armstrong. He published a series of articles entitled ‘The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon’ and was imprisoned at Holloway Prison for three months. He founded the "Review of Reviews" in 1890, also the American Review of Reviews in 1891 and the Australasian Review of Reviews in 1894. Stead preached the Peace Crusade after visiting the Tsar of Russia in 1898, and he founded and edited the weekly paper "War against War". After the Hague Conference, which he attended, he strongly opposed the war with the Transvaal [South Africa]. Stead died on 15 April 1912; he was on board the "Titantic" on route to take part in a peace congress at Carnegie Hall at the request of William Howard Taft, but failed to reach a life boat in time.