Andrew L. Lewis, Jr.
| The Honorable Andrew L. Lewis, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
|
In office January 23, 1981 – February 1, 1983 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Neil Goldschmidt |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Dole |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andrew Lindsay Lewis, Jr. November 3, 1931 Broomall, Pennsylvania |
| Died |
February 10, 2016 (aged 84) Prescott, Arizona |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Marilyn Stoughton Lewis[1] |
| Children | Karen, Andrew, and Russell Lewis |
| Alma mater |
Haverford College Harvard Business School Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Religion | Schwenkfelder Church |
Andrew Lindsay Lewis, Jr. (November 3, 1931 – February 10, 2016), known as Drew Lewis, was an American businessman from the state of Pennsylvania who was United States Secretary of Transportation in the first portion of the administration of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.
Life and education
A native of Broomall in Delaware County west of Philadelphia, Lewis received his Bachelor of Science in 1953 from Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania and in 1955 his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.[2] He did postgraduate work at MIT in 1968. In June 1950, he married the former Marilyn Stoughton, a Republican former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The Lewises had three children together and fourteen grandchildren. His son Andrew "Andy" Lewis, IV, served as a township commissioner in Haverford Township between 2004 and 2007 and was elected in 2007 to the Delaware County Council. Lewis's sister, Floy Lewis Bakes, graduated from Ursinus College he donated $3 million to Ursinus to build a field house, which became the Floy Lewis Bakes Center.[3]
At the time of his nomination for Transportation Secretary, he was a member of the Schwenkfelder Church.[4]
Lewis died of complications from pneumonia in Prescott, Arizona on February 10, 2016 at the age of 84.[5]
Career
In the 1950s he held several positions at Henkels and McCoy, Inc. In the 1960s he rose up the ranks of National Gypsum Company, becoming their assistant chairman in 1969. From 1972 to 1974 he was president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Snelling and Snelling, Inc. In 1971, he was appointed as trustee in bankruptcy (along with Richardson Dilworth) for Reading Company, the railroad company headquartered in Philadelphia, and guided the company through its successful reorganization and discharge from bankruptcy in 1980.[6]
From 1974 to 1981 he headed Lewis and Associates, a business consulting firm. During the 1960s and 1970s, he served in several political capacities: county committee member, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party's finance committee, GOP candidate for governor in 1974, chairman of the Pennsylvania delegation to the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, and the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee.[2] During the 1976 Republican presidential campaign, Lewis, as head of the powerful Pennsylvania delegation, had backed Gerald Ford, over challenger Ronald Reagan.
At the Republican convention, Reagan announced that if nominated he would name Richard S. Schweiker, Lewis' good friend, as his running mate. Lewis had already committed to Ford and so honored his word, and kept his delegation in line to help nominate Ford as the Republican candidate. Reagan remembered his loyalty in 1980, and appointed Lewis to head his Pennsylvania campaign organization.
When Reagan was elected President, he named Lewis as his Secretary of Transportation, where he served from 1981 to 1983. During his tenure, the 1981 air traffic controllers strike occurred, and the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 was passed with the user fees to finance the law.[2]
In 1983, Lewis was hired as chairman and CEO of Warner-Amex Cable Communications (WACCI), the joint venture between the then Warner Communications and American Express, succeeding Gustave M. Hauser.[7] In this role, he was also chairman of the WACCI subsidiary, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company (WASEC), which eventually became known as MTV Networks after a public offering in 1984.
In April 1986, about the time Warner Communications sold its interest in MTV Networks, and purchased American Express's share of Warner Amex Cable (renaming it Warner Cable), Drew Lewis left WACCI to become Chairman and CEO of the Union Pacific Railroad.
In October 1986, he became president and CEO of the parent Union Pacific Corporation. One year later, on October 1, 1987, he became Chairman and CEO of Union Pacific Corporation, succeeding William S. Cook.[8] He served in that post until 1997.[2]
Since then he sat on the boards of American Express, Ford Motor Company, Gannett Company, and SmithKline Beecham.[2][6]
References
- ↑
- 1 2 3 4 5 U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. (2009-03-01). "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation."
- ↑ Cech, Scott (4 December 1997). "Couple To Donate $3 Million To Ursinus For Field House". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ↑ "Transportation Secretary Confirmation Hearing". C-SPAN. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ William Grimes (February 12, 2016). "Drew Lewis, Transportation Secretary During Air Controllers’ Strike, Dies at 84". The New York Times.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- 1 2 Gannett Company, Arlington, VA. (1995-06-20) "Drew Lewis named to board of directors."
- ↑ "Business People: Warner Amex Cable Cuts 57 More Positions". New York Times. 1983-05-17.
- ↑ "Lewis to Head Union Pacific". New York Times. 1987-09-25.
- University Of Virginia. Miller Center. "Andrew Lewis Jr. (1981–1983): Secretary of Transportation" American President: A Reference Resource.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Neil Goldschmidt |
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Served under: Ronald Reagan 1981–1983 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Dole |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by John Kenefick |
President of Union Pacific Railroad 1986–1987 |
Succeeded by Mike Walsh |
| Preceded by John Kenefick |
CEO of Union Pacific Railroad 1986–1997 |
Succeeded by Richard Davidson |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Raymond J. Broderick |
Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania 1974 |
Succeeded by Dick Thornburgh |
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