Vivian Murchison Lewis (June 8, 1869 – March 14, 1950) was an American jurist 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 ...

. He was the

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 ...

nominee for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

in 1910 against

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and lost the election.

Early life and education

Lewis was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1869 to Isaac Arriston and Hanna (Davies) Lewis. He attended local schools in Paterson. As was the custom of the time, he studied law with private tutors (read the law) and was admitted to the bar in 1892. During this time he also wrote for New York newspapers.''Scannell's New Jersey First Citizens, 1917-1918''
J.J. Scannell, 1918.

Political career

Lewis joined the Republican Party and became politically active. In 1897 he was elected as a Republican to the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

. He was re-elected in 1899 and 1900, serving as majority leader in the Assembly during his last term.Myers, William Starr. ''The Story of New Jersey'' (1945). Reprinted a
''Prominent Families of New Jersey''
(Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000). In 1904 Lewis was elected City Counsel of Paterson. He resigned this position when Governor Franklin Murphy appointed him Clerk in Chancery (an office now known as Clerk of the Superior Court). Lewis filled the vacancy left by Edward C. Stokes, who resigned upon his inauguration as governor. He was renominated by Stokes for a full term in 1905. Lewis left the position of Clerk in Chancery in 1909 when he was appointed by Governor

John Franklin Fort John Franklin Fort (March 20, 1852 – November 17, 1920) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 33rd governor of New Jersey, from 1908 to 1911. His uncle, George Franklin Fort, was a Democratic Governor of New Jersey fro ...

to be the State Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. In 1907, Lewis was the runner-up for the Republican nomination for Governor, finishing behind

at the September party convention. In 1910, Lewis was nominated to be the Republican candidate for

, facing off against

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, then President of Princeton University. Wilson ran a spirited campaign declaring his independence from machine politics, promising that party bosses would not control the state if he was elected. Lewis did not articulate an appealing campaign. Wilson soundly defeated Lewis in the general election by a margin of more than 49,000 votes. However, Republican

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

had carried New Jersey in the 1908 presidential election by more than 80,000 votes.Biography of Woodrow Wilson (PDF)
,

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

. Some historians think that Wilson benefited from former president

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

's public campaign for progressive causes in this period. In 1912, Lewis resigned from his position as banking commissioner to accept the judicial position of vice chancellorship from Chancellor Edwin Robert Walker. He was reappointed to this office in 1919, 1926, 1933 and 1940. He retired in 1947, when the powers of the chancellor and vice chancellors were absorbed by the Superior Court, under the new State Constitution."Vivian M. Lewis, 80, Jersey Legal Leader"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', March 15, 1950. Accessed June 15, 2008.

Marriage and family

Lewis married Jane Campbell (div. 1906) and they had two sons, Henry C. and John C. Lewis. He married Charlotte A. Jorgensen on September 27, 1916. He died in 1950 in Paterson at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Vivian M. 1869 births 1950 deaths Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey state court judges State cabinet secretaries of New Jersey