William Lewis (October 31, 1827, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

– December 11, 1891, in Hamden, New York) was an American merchant and politician from New York.

Life

The family emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1834, and settled on a farm in

Delaware County, New York Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3 ...

. He attended the common schools, and then became a merchant in Hamden at the age of 23. He married Janette Neish. Later he was also a contractor, and built about 20 miles of the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad in 1870 and 1871. He 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 ...

member of the New York State Assembly (Delaware Co., 1st D.) in

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

and

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defe ...

; Supervisor of the Town of Hamden from 1875 to 1883; Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Delaware County in 1877 and 1878; again a member of the State Assembly (Delaware Co.) in

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

; and a member of the New York State Senate (24th D.) in

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

and

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in t ...

. Lewis died in his home in Hamden at the age of 64."Obituaries", ''The New York Sun'' (December 15, 1891), p. 2.

References

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 403, 493f and 500)
''Life Sketches of Executive Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York''
by William H. McElroy & Alexander McBride (1873; pg. 245f)
Biographical sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac'' (1888)

("The Town of Hamden") {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, William 1827 births Republican Party New York (state) state senators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Delaware County, New York 1891 deaths 19th-century American legislators