Lewis T. Dent (also known as Louis Dent, March 3, 1823 – March 22, 1874) was an American explorer, judge, and politician. He was the brother-in-law of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. Dent was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in 1823, the son of Frederick Dent and Ellen Wrenshall. He was one of four older brothers of

Julia Dent Grant Julia Boggs Grant (née Dent; January 26, 1826 – December 14, 1902) was the first lady of the United States and wife of President Ulysses S. Grant. As first lady, she became a national figure in her own right. Her memoirs, '' The Personal Memo ...

, the future First Lady. Dent was considered to be well-educated, having attended the best schools in St. Louis and studying law. In 1846, Dent served as a civilian clerk to paymaster Major James H. Cloud who accompanied the Mormon Battalion to California during the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...

. Lewis and his brother John's names were found etched at Signature Rock in Oklahoma. Dent later married a daughter of Judge Baine. Dent served as a judge on the Superior Court of California until he resigned in 1849. He was a delegate at the first Constitutional Convention of California in 1849. After the shooting death of William Knight on November 9, 1849, John and Lewis Dent took over the operation of Knight's Ferry. The post office for Knight's Ferry was opened on July 28, 1851, and Lewis Dent became its first postmaster. Alongside his brother, Dent ran the ferry and hotel and was named justice of the peace. In 1858, he moved to

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

and practiced law. In 1862, Dent joined the military staff of his brother-in-law, General Grant. Between 1863 and 1867, he was engaged in extensive cotton-growing in Mississippi and Louisiana. Dent was captured by the Confederates towards the end of the Civil War and spent about a month in custody. After Grant was elected president in 1868, Dent took up residence at the White House. Dent ran for Governor of Mississippi in the state's 1869 election, and was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate for the

National Union Republican Party National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

ticket. He was supported by conservatives in both parties, and the Democratic party opted not to field a candidate but to support Dent. However, Grant did not support his brother-in-law, as he opposed his white supremacist views. Dent was defeated in his gubernatorial ambitions by the wealthy planter

James L. Alcorn James Lusk Alcorn (November 4, 1816December 19, 1894) was a Governor of Mississippi, governor, and United States Senate, U.S. senator during the Reconstruction era in Mississippi. A Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era), Moderate Republican ...

. After losing the election, Grant named him minister to Chile. At the end of his life, Dent became a Roman Catholic. He died in Washington, D.C. in March 1874.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, Lewis 1823 births 1874 deaths 19th-century American politicians Politicians from St. Louis California lawyers People of Missouri in the American Civil War American white supremacists 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges