Charles Swearinger Lewis (February 26, 1821 – January 22, 1878) 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 ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Biography

Born in Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), Lewis attended local schools and

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. He graduated from Augusta College in Kentucky in 1844. Lewis studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1846. He began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

in Clarksburg, Virginia. Lewis served as member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1849 until 1852. He was elected as a Democratic candidate to the

Thirty-third Congress The 33rd 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, 1853, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

John F. Snodgrass John Fryall Snodgrass (March 2, 1804 – June 5, 1854) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Virginia. Biography Snodgrass was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) to William Snodgrass and A ...

, serving from December 4, 1854, until March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress. After leaving Congress, Lewis resumed the practice of law in Clarksburg. He served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1861, and served in the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

in 1871. He was State superintendent of free schools and adjutant general of the State of West Virginia from 1871 to 1872. He resigned upon his election as judge of the second judicial circuit and served until his death. Lewis died on January 22, 1878, in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He is interred in Odd Fellows Cemetery.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Charles Swearinger 1821 births 1878 deaths Politicians from Clarksburg, West Virginia Virginia lawyers West Virginia circuit court judges Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Clarksburg, West Virginia Augusta College (Kentucky) alumni 19th-century Virginia politicians