Edward Augustus Lewis
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Edward Augustus Lewis (February 22, 1820 – September 21, 1889)L. C. Krauthoff, ''The Supreme Court of Missouri'', in Horace Williams Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'' (1891), Vol. 3, p. 184. was a justice of the
Supreme Court of Missouri The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constitution to give ...
in 1874.


Early life, education, and career

Born in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Lewis was orphaned in 1829, around the age of nine, and sent to
Charlotte Hall, Maryland Charlotte Hall is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles and St. Mary's counties, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,420 at the 2010 census. The Maryland Veterans Home for disabled veterans, including a U.S. Veterans Affairs clinic ...
, for schooling. In 1835, at the age of fifteen, he became an apprentice to the printer's trade in the office of Duff Green, and in 1836 he became a private tutor. In 1838, he was a clerk in the Government Land Office; the next year he moved to
Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's m ...
, where he gained
admission 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 1841. He was "a self–made and self–educated man". In 1845, he settled in
Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The comm ...
. After serving in a number of county offices, he accepted editorial charge of the ''Intelligencer'', a newspaper in St. Louis in 1851, where he participated in the formation of the
International Typographical Union The International Typographical Union (ITU) was a US trade union for the printing trade for newspapers and other media. It was founded on May 3, 1852, in the United States as the National Typographical Union, and changed its name to the Interna ...
. In 1853, he entered the practice of the law in earnest, and "soon attained an enviable rank in his profession". He moved to
St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on t ...
, in 1856, where he "purchased 200 acres of land, which he developed into the town of New Florence, which was named after his daughter". He was a Presidential Elector twice, and the unsuccessful candidate of the minority party for the Supreme Court in 1868.


Judicial service

In September 1874, Governor Silas Woodson appointed Lewis to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the death of Justice Washington Adams, serving on that tribunal for a few months. In January 1875, Governor Woodson appointed Lewis a judge of the newly established St. Louis Court of Appeals, winning reelection the following year and presiding for nearly twelve years. In 1888, physical infirmity and increasing deafness compelled his resignation from the bench, but his associates, in recognition of his long service, appointed him
reporter of decisions The Reporter of Decisions (sometimes known by other titles, such as Official Reporter or State Reporter) is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case repor ...
. He held this position until his death in St. Louis the following year, at the age of 69.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Edward Augustus Judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri 1820 births 1889 deaths Lawyers from Washington, D.C.