John L. Lewis (politician, 1807)
John Langford Lewis (* 1807 in Georgia - † May 8, 1871 ) was an American politician .
Life
Lewis grew up in Georgia. He practiced as a lawyer and was very actively involved in the political life of Muscogee County , particularly the city of Columbus . He was a member of the Columbus City Council and served as the city's mayor. Furthermore, he was prosecutor ( Solicitor General ) of Muscogee County. In the course of a sensational bank robbery in 1842, allegations were raised that Lewis had helped the accused bank robbers escape for payment. Lewis then left the state without facing the allegations. He later took part in the Mexican-American War .
He then settled in Minden , Louisiana . He did not practice the rest of his life as a lawyer. Although he did not seek political office in the 1850s, he became one of the leading political figures in the Democratic Party in the region as well as the state. In 1856 and 1860, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention . There, Lewis appeared as a staunch opponent of secession . In January 1861 he was a delegate for Claiborne Parish at the Louisiana Secession Convention in Baton Rouge . There he was elected to the committee that should prepare the Louisiana Declaration of Secession .
After the formation of the Confederate States (CSA) he entered the military service on April 24, 1861 in the course of the Civil War and commanded the Minden Blues . With his unit he went to Virginia , where he joined the Army of Northeastern Virginia and took part in the First Battle of the Bull Run . In the fall of 1861 he ran for a seat in the Confederate Congress . When his election victory became apparent, he resigned his command and traveled to Richmond with one of his daughters . There he learned that he was defeated Henry Marshall by a margin of only 200 votes. He now returned to Minden. In December 1861 he resigned from military service. Back in Minden, he held the post of mayor during the further course of the Civil War. He also received the rank of Colonel and was entrusted with the task of overseeing the recruitment of home guards in northwest Louisiana.
After the end of the war he joined the Republican Party and campaigned for the implementation of the Reconstruction . This earned him some political influence in Claiborne Parish. In 1868 he was appointed Judge of Claiborne Parish. In addition, he campaigned for the establishment of Webster Parish , which was finally formed in 1871 from parts of the Bienville Parish , the Bossier Parish and the Claiborne Parish. Lewis became Webster Parish's first judge. Due to his death, however, he only held this office for a short time. He was buried in Minden Cemetery .
Lewis was married.
literature
- John Agan: Echoes of Our Past: The Civil War Years in Minden (2010)
Individual evidence
- ^ List of Mayors of Columbus, Georgia , Columbus City website
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lewis, John L. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lewis, John Langford (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1807 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Georgia |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 8, 1871 |