John F. Lewis

John F. Lewis

John Francis Lewis (born March 1, 1818 in Rockingham County , Virginia , †  September 2, 1895 ibid) was an American politician ( Republican Party ). He was a member of the US Senate as a representative of the state of Virginia and was its lieutenant governor .

John F. Lewis was born on Lynnwood Plantation in rural Rockingham County. He went to school there before he started farming as a young man. In 1842 he married Serena Helen Sheffey, with whom he raised six children.

Just before the Civil War began, Lewis attended the Virginia Secession Convention, but did not sign the document that sealed secession . After remaining loyal to the Union, he also ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives as the Union Party candidate in 1865 , but failed.

From October 1869 to January 1870, Lewis served for the first time as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia . He resigned when Virginia regained full political rights, and represented his state in the US Senate from January 26, 1870. He stayed there until March 3, 1875. He did not stand for re-election.

Lewis left Washington, DC again. In Virginia, he was appointed US Marshal for the western district of the state by US Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes . He held this office from 1875 until his resignation in 1882. After the renewed election as lieutenant governor, he remained from 1881 to 1886 in this post before he retired from politics. John Lewis died on Lynnwood Plantation in 1895 and was buried in the family cemetery.

Web links

Commons : John F. Lewis  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• John F. Lewis in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John F. Lewis in the database of Find a Grave (English)