Burwell Boykin Lewis (July 7, 1838 – October 11, 1885) represented both

Alabama's 6th congressional district Alabama's 6th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Alabama that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It is composed of the wealthier portions of Birmingham, nearly all of Jeffer ...

and

Alabama's At-large congressional district Alabama's at-large congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Alabama active at various times from 1819 to 1965. Alabama became a state in 1819, and its single representative to the 16th ...

in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

Early life

Lewis was born in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

and soon moved, with his parents, to Mobile, Alabama. Both parents died while in Mobile and young Lewis went to

Montevallo, Alabama Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with approximately 3,000 students. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city o ...

Shelby County, Alabama Shelby County is located in the Central Alabama, central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 223,024. The county seat is Columbiana, Alabama, Columbiana. The largest city is A ...

to live with an uncle. While there he attended private schools. Upon completion he moved to

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

where he attended the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

. He next moved to

Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...

where he studied law. Lewis was admitted to the bar in 1859 and began to practice law in Montevallo. With the outbreak of 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 ...

Lewis enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. He served with the Second Alabama Cavalry and attained the rank of captain

Political life

Lewis was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives from 1870 to 1872. He moved to Tuscaloosa where he engaged in business activities before being elected to an at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1875. This seat was to represent the 8th congressional district which was first apportioned as a result of the 1880 census. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 1876 election but was elected to the 6th congressional district in 1878. He began his service in March 1879 and served until October 1880 when he resigned to serve as the president of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Later life

Lewis served as president of the UA for just over five years until his death in Tuscaloosa, in 1885.

References

*Biographical Directory of the United States Congres
Burwell Boykin Lewis
Accessed 21 April 2007

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Burwell Boykin 1838 births 1885 deaths Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama People from Montevallo, Alabama Presidents of the University of Alabama Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Mobile, Alabama Lawyers from Mobile, Alabama Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama Military personnel from Montgomery, Alabama 19th-century American lawyers