Abner Lewis (August 17, 1801 – October 12, 1879) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, judge and attorney from

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

and

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...

Biography

Lewis was born in

Wells, Vermont Wells is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 1,214. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.42%, ...

on August 17, 1801. He was raised in

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, New York, Mayville, an ...

, studied law with Abner Hazeltine in Jamestown, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Chautauqua Co.) in

1838 Events January–March * January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London. * January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration o ...

and

1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – T ...

. Lewis was elected as a Whig to the

29th United States Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845, ...

, holding office from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. He did not run for reelection, and served as Chautauqua County

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

from June 1847 to November 1852. In 1856 Lewis moved to

, where he practiced law and was active in several businesses, including the city's transit railroad. Lewis was also involved in several civic causes, including construction of the State Normal School, Minnesota's academy for training teachers. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Lewis was a Voting Commissioner, responsible for enabling

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers from western states to cast ballots while in the field. In 1867 he was appointed U.S. Internal Revenue Assessor for the district that included Winona. Active in the

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

as a lay preacher, and a prominent member of the

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

movement, in 1870 he was the

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...

's nominee for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Lewis was also interested in higher education, including serving as a Trustee of

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

and the State Normal School (now

Winona State University Winona State University (Winona) is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first no ...

), Minnesota's academy for training schoolteachers. He remained active until his health began to fail in the late 1870s, after which he lived in retirement in Winona. Lewis died in Winona on October 12, 1879. He was interred in Winona's Woodlawn Cemetery.

Sources

*Minnesota Legal History Project
Biography, Abner Lewis
2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Abner 1801 births 1879 deaths People from Harmony, New York People from Winona, Minnesota Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state court judges Minnesota Prohibitionists Methodists from New York (state) Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American legislators Activists from Vermont Activists from New York (state) People from Wells, Vermont Activists from Minnesota 19th-century American judges Methodists from Minnesota 19th-century American Methodist ministers