Samuel Phineas Lewis (15 June 1901 – 16 August 1976) was an Australian schoolteacher and trade unionist. Lewis was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to hairdresser Judah Henry Lewis and Rebecca Caroline, ''née'' Myers. After attending Cleveland Street Intermediate and

Sydney Boys High , motto_translation = With Truth and Courage , established = , location = Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pu ...

schools on a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...

, he studied economics at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and then at Teachers' College, beginning his teaching career at Bondi Public School in 1921. He also joined the New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation in 1921; posted to various state schools, he was sent to

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At ...

in 1925 and campaigned for Jack Lang, attributing his subsequent posting at Atholwood near the border with

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

as a reaction to his political activities. Lewis returned to university part-time in 1929, teaching at Maroubra, and was a founding member and secretary of the Educational Workers' League, which advocated the abolition of public examinations, weekly tests, homework and corporal punishment. Sometime vice-president of the assistants' branch of the Teachers' Federation, he organised the Conference on Education for a Progressive Democratic Australia in 1938. A lapsed Jew, Lewis married fellow teacher Ethel Caroline Nelson Teerman on 20 December 1940 at Randwick. In the early 1930s he had joined the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

, becoming secretary of the Coogee branch, and, using the alias "Samuel Curtis", he was elected to the district committee in 1938. He contested the federal seat of Barton for the

State Labor Party The State Labor Party, also known as State Labor Party (Hughes-Evans), was an Australian political party which operated exclusively in the state of New South Wales (NSW) in the early 1940s. The party was initially a far-left faction of the Austr ...

in 1940. In 1943, Lewis was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, rising to president in 1945. Lang, now a dissident member of the federal parliament, attacked Lewis as a well-known communist following his appointment as a delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation meeting in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

in 1947. He was defeated for the presidency in 1952, and he returned to teaching at

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

and Newtown. In 1955 he received a reprimand after slapping a boy on the face, although fellow teachers rallied in support since Lewis had reportedly been provoked by a racist insult. In 1958 he was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, and he reclaimed the presidency in 1964. An activist president, Lewis strongly supported

equal pay for women Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the full ...

and the rights of teachers, achieving the right for complaints to be heard in the Industrial Commission of New South Wales rather than by the Public Service Board. A

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

, he gave his last address as president in January 1968. In 1974 a stroke left him partially paralysed. Lewis died at Maroubra in 1976 and was cremated; he is remembered in the Sam Lewis peace awards, awarded by the Teachers' Federation since 1983. His daughter Jeannie Lewis is a well-known musician and stage performer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Sam 1901 births 1976 deaths Australian schoolteachers Australian trade unionists