James T. Lewis

James Taylor Lewis (born October 30, 1819 in Clarendon , Orleans County , New York , † August 5, 1904 ) was an American politician and from 1864 to 1866 the ninth governor of the state of Wisconsin.

Early years

After school, Lewis taught himself for a short time before studying law. In 1845 he moved to Columbus , Wisconsin Territory , where he was admitted to the bar. Between 1846 and 1852 he was a district attorney and judge in a probate court in Columbia County . In 1847 and 1848 he was a delegate to the constituent assemblies of the future state of Wisconsin. In 1852 he sat in the Wisconsin State Assembly , in 1853 in the State Senate . Between 1854 and 1856 he was lieutenant governor . He then retired from politics for a few years and worked as a lawyer. In 1861 he returned to the political scene as Secretary of State of Wisconsin. He held this office until his election to governor. In the meantime, the former Democrat Lewis had left that party and joined the Republicans . As their candidate, he was also elected governor.

Governor of wisconsin

Lewis began his two-year term on January 4, 1864. Civil war was still raging in the United States in the first year of his administration . The governor stood up for the Wisconsin soldiers and their families. On the other hand, he still had to provide fresh soldiers for the Union army at this point in time . He made a few troop visits and set up hospitals in Wisconsin to treat the wounded. Orphanages were also built for the children of fallen soldiers. In 1865 he declined to run again for governor. Therefore, he left office on January 1, 1866.

After the end of his tenure, he retired to Columbus. There he played an important role in the establishment of a new water supply and the electrification of the place in the following decades. In 1876 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention , where Rutherford B. Hayes was nominated as a presidential candidate. James Lewis died in August 1904. He was married to Orlina Sturgis, with whom he had four children.

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personal data
SURNAME	Lewis, James T.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Lewis, James Taylor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 30, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH	Clarendon , New York
DATE OF DEATH	5th August 1904