James Taylor Lewis (October 30, 1819August 5, 1904) was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served as the 9th Governor of Wisconsin (1864–1866). Prior to his election as governor, he was the 7th Secretary of State of Wisconsin (1862–1864) and the 4th

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to ...

(1854–1856), and served one year each in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

(1853) and

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

(1852).

Early life

Lewis was born in Clarendon in

Orleans County, New York Orleans County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,343. The county seat is Albion. The county received its name at the insistence of Nehemiah Ingersoll though historians ...

, to Shubael Lewis and his first wife, Eleanor (''née'' Robertson). His father was a farmer and colonel in the

New York State militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

, and came to own large estates in New York and

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

. James Lewis was the third of four sons, his brothers were William L. Lewis, Shubael R. Lewis, and Hiram W. Lewis. His mother died in 1834, and his father's second wife, Parna Nichols, assisted in raising him. He received a common school education and completed a course of English and classical study at Clarkson Academy and Clinton Seminary. He was interested from an early age in military affairs, and participated in the New York Militia. He was made a sergeant in 1838, and, in 1840, was made a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the 215th Regiment. In 1842, he began studying law at

Clarkson, New York Clarkson is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 6,736 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Matthew Clarkson. The Town of Clarkson is on the western border of the county and is west of the City o ...

, under

Henry R. Selden Henry Rogers Selden (October 14, 1805 – September 18, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. He defended Susan B. Anthony in her 1873 trial for unlawfully voting as a woman.Alan D ...

, who later became Lieutenant Governor of New York. After completing his studies, he was offered a legal partnership in Clinton, New York, but declined. He instead chose to move west to the

and established himself at

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, which remained his principal residence for the rest of his life.

Career

He taught school briefly in the district schools around Clarkson. In 1842, he began the study of law with former New York lieutenant governor

. In 1845 he moved to what is now

Columbus, Wisconsin Columbus is a city in Columbia (mostly) and Dodge Counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census. All of this population resided in the Columbia County portion of the city. Columbu ...

, where he 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 ...

. Between 1846 and 1852, Lewis held the positions of district attorney and county judge and was elected to terms in both the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

. He was also a member or the Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1847–1848, representing Columbia County. Lewis was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Columbus (Columbia Lodge #40) and served as Noble Grand of the Lodge in 1851. He also served as the fourth

from 1854 to 1856, Wisconsin secretary of state from 1862 to 1864. Nominated by the Union Republicans for governor, Lewis was elected and served as Governor of Wisconsin from January 6, 1864, until January 5, 1866. He was the last Wisconsin governor to hold the office during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. and was concerned during his tenure with providing sufficient troops for the Civil War and helping to protect them and their dependents. He visited troops in the field and helped establish hospitals in Wisconsin for the care of the wounded. Refusing renomination in 1865, he was offered a diplomatic post by President

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, but chose instead to return to his law practice in Columbus.

Death and legacy

Lewis died in Columbus, Wisconsin, on August 4, 1904. He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Hillside Cemetery, Columbus, Columbia County, Wisconsin. His former home, now known as the Gov. James T. Lewis House, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Family life

Lewis married Orlina M. Sturgis, of Clarkson, New York, in 1845. They had four children together, though their first son died in infancy. He named his second son Selden, in honor of his law instructor,

. His third son, Charles, was named for Charles D. Robinson. His elder brother, Shubael R. Lewis, won esteem at the

Battle of Chapultepec The Battle of Chapultepec was a battle between American forces and Mexican forces holding the strategically located Chapultepec Castle just outside Mexico City, fought 13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War. The building, sitting ...

in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

Bibliography

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References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, James T. 1819 births 1904 deaths District attorneys in Wisconsin Republican Party governors of Wisconsin Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Clarendon, New York People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Wisconsin state court judges Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Secretaries of State of Wisconsin People from Columbus, Wisconsin Union (American Civil War) state governors Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century American judges