Merton E. Lewis

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Merton Elmer Lewis (born December 10, 1861 in Webster , New York , † May 2, 1937 in Rochester , New York) was an American lawyer and politician .

Career

Merton Elmer Lewis, son of Rhoda Ann Willard and Charles Chadwick Lewis (* 1826), was born in Monroe County during the civil war that overshadowed his childhood. He graduated from Webster Union School. He then studied law with James B. Perkins in Rochester (New York). He was admitted to the bar in 1887 and then began practicing in Rochester. On January 2, 1886, he married Adeline Louise Moody (1866-1894).

In 1894 he took part as a delegate to the New York Constituent Assembly . In 1891 he became Alderman in Rochester. In his capacity as President of the Common Council, a post he has held since 1894, he became Acting Mayor of Rochester in 1895 after the resignation of Mayor George W. Aldridge . He sat in the New York State Assembly in 1897, 1899, 1900 and 1901 for the 1st District (Monroe County) and from 1902 to 1906 for the 43rd District in the New York Senate (125th to 129th  New York State Legislature ) . He ran for New York State Comptroller in the 1906 election , but all Republicans were defeated by the Democratic Party and Independence League nominees, except for New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes . The Attorney General of New York Egburt E. Woodbury appointed him First Deputy Attorney General in January 1915 . Woodbury resigned on April 19, 1917 from his post as Attorney General. Six days later, Lewis was elected the new Attorney General of New York by the New York State Legislature. There were 173 votes for Lewis and 2 for Morris Hillquit. In the 1917 election, he was elected Attorney General of New York for a full term, which ended in late 1918. In 1918 he announced his intention to run again for the post as Attorney General, but went to the Republican primary for the post of Governor of New York. In August 1918, he urged Republican voters to distance themselves from his opponent in the same party, incumbent Governor of New York Charles S. Whitman . The background was as follows: Whitman was assisted by William Randolph Hearst , who was accused of undermining the war effort of the United States against the German Empire . Whitman was nominated again, but lost the election to Democrat Alfred E. Smith .

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personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Merton E.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lewis, Merton Elmer (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1861
PLACE OF BIRTH Webster , New York
DATE OF DEATH May 2, 1937
Place of death Rochester , New York