Lewis Steward (November 20, 1824 – August 27, 1896) 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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He also co-founded

Marsh, Steward & Company Marsh, Steward & Company (Marsh Brothers) (Marsh Harvester) (Marsh Brothers & Steward) began with the invention and patent of a reaper-harvester by brothers Charles Wesley Marsh and W. W. Marsh of De Kalb, Illinois in August 1858. By 1863 the imp ...

, a company that later merged to become

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

Biography

Lewis Steward was born on November 20, 1824 in Hollisterville in Wayne County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was the oldest of nine children born to Marcus and Ursula Steward. In 1838, the family moved to Little Rock Township, Kendall County,

. His father purchased a farm and built mills on Big Rock Creek. Lewis would help his father with his work, eventually starting a farm of his own.'Hon. Lewis Steward-obituary,' The Wayne County Herald (Honesdale, Pennsylvania), September 1, 1896, pg. 3 Lewis Stewart House Plano Illinois

In 1853, Steward was able to convince surveyors from the

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

to build a station near his homestead. Once built, Steward platted the territory around the station, forming the town of Plano. He studied law in his free time 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 1860, but never practiced. C. W. and

W. W. Marsh William Wallace Marsh (April 15, 1835 – May 12, 1918) was a Canadian American inventor and businessman who co-founded Marsh, Steward & Company with his brother Charles. Born in Ontario, Canada, Marsh developed an early harvester prototype on the ...

approached Steward in 1862, offering an investment opportunity in their harvesting machine operation. Stewart worked with the Marshes to perfect their prototype, and by 1863, they had established the Plano Harvester Works as

. In their first year of operation, the company sold 100 machines. By the mid 1870s, they were producing 10,000 a year. In 1875, investor

William Deering William Deering (April 25, 1826 – December 9, 1913) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He inherited a woolen mill in Maine, but made his fortune in later life with the Deering Harvester Company. Life Early life Deering was born ...

purchased the company and moved it to

North Chicago North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the 2nd largest city by population in the county, after Waukegan. North Chica ...

, renaming it the

Deering Harvester Company Deering Harvester Company was founded in 1874 by William Deering. In 1902, Deering Harvester Company and McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, along with three smaller agricultural equipment firms (Milwaukee, Plano, and Warder, Bushnell & Glessn ...

. In 1902, the company merged with the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company to form

. Steward chose to remain in Plano. In 1876, he ran for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

as the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidate. Although he lost, it was by a much closer margin (5,000 votes) than other recent candidates from the party. Also that year, Steward purchased a boot and shoe factory, producing goods from a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

that he had started in 1864. By 1877, Steward was worth over $250,000. In the 1880s, Steward turned to

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

pursuits. He donated land to local churches and assisted with construction. He started a park and built an opera house. Steward funded an annual trip for young boys and girls to the circus. He built a water system for Plano and sold it to the town in 1888. In 1890, he was elected as a Democrat to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, serving one two-year term with the

52nd Congress The 52nd 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, 1891, ...

. He ran unsuccessfully for the same office in 1892 and 1894. He died in Plano at the age of 71 on August 27, 1896. His 1854 house was 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 v ...

on November 28, 2003.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Steward, Lewis 1824 births 1896 deaths 19th-century American inventors People from Plano, Illinois People from Wayne County, Pennsylvania Businesspeople from Illinois Farmers from Illinois Illinois lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers