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 ...
at
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