John W. Lewis Jr. (September 6, 1905 – August 12, 1977) was an American politician. Born in

Marshall, Illinois Marshall is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Illinois, United States, located approximately west of Terre Haute, Indiana. The population was 3,947 at the 2020 census. History Marshall was officially organized by William B. Archer ...

, Lewis graduated from Marshall Township High School and then went to

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. He was a farmer auctioneer, and livestock dealer. He served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1940 until 1958 and was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1958, he was then elected to the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

. However, in 1962 Lewis was again elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served until 1968 and served as speaker. Lewis was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture in 1969. In 1970, he was appointed

Illinois Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 secretaries of states in the United States. The Illinois Secretary of State keeps the state records, laws, libr ...

and served until 1973.'American Legislative Leaders in the Midwest, 1911–1994,' Nancy Weatherly Sharp, James Roger Sharp, Greenwood Publishing Group: 1977, Biographical Sketch of John W. Lewis Jr., p. 159 He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for United States Senator in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

Notes

1905 births 1977 deaths People from Marshall, Illinois University of Illinois alumni Farmers from Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Secretaries of State of Illinois Republican Party Illinois state senators Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American farmers {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub