James T. Lewis

James Taylor Lewis
1862 portrait of Lewis by William F. Cogswell
9th Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 4, 1864 – January 1, 1866
Lieutenant	Wyman Spooner
Preceded by	Edward Salomon
Succeeded by	Lucius Fairchild
4th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 2, 1854 – January 7, 1856
Governor	William Barstow
Preceded by	Timothy Burns
Succeeded by	Arthur MacArthur, Sr
Secretary of State of Wisconsin
In office January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1864
Preceded by	Louis Harvey
Succeeded by	Lucius Fairchild
Personal details
Born	James Taylor Lewis (1819-08-30)August 30, 1819 Clarendon, New York
Died	August 5, 1904(1904-08-05) (aged 84) Columbus, Wisconsin
Resting place	Hillside Cemetery Columbus, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Orlina M. Sturgis Lewis
Profession	Lawyer Judge Politician

James Taylor Lewis (October 30, 1819 – August 5, 1904) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the ninth Governor of Wisconsin.

Early life

Lewis was born in Clarendon, New York. He taught school briefly and went on to study law with former New York Governor Henry R. Seldon. In 1845 he moved to Columbus, Wisconsin, where he was admitted to the bar.

Career

Lewis held the positions of district attorney and county judge, and he was elected to terms in both the Wisconsin State Assembly and the State Senate. He was also a member or the Constitutional Convention of 1847-1848 representing Columbia County. He also served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1854 to 1856, Wisconsin secretary of state from 1862 to 1864,

Nominaated by the Union Republicans for Governor, Lewis was elected and served as Governor of the state of Wisconsin from January 6, 1864 – January 5, 1866. He was the last Wisconsin governor to hold the office during the Civil War.^[1] and was concerned during his tenure with providing sufficient troops for the Civil War and helping to protect them and their dependents. He visited troops in the field and helped establish hospitals in Wisconsin for the care of the wounded. Refusing renomination in 1865, he was offered a diplomatic post by President Lincoln, but chose instead to return to his law practice in Columbus.

Death and legacy

Lewis died in Columbus, Wisconsin, on August 4, 1904 (age 84 years, 279 days). He is interred at Hillside Cemetery, Columbus, Columbia County,Wisconsin. His former home, now known as the Gov. James T. Lewis House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

Family life

Lewis married Orlina M. Sturgis and they had four children.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James T. Lewis.

• National Governors Association
• Find A Grave

Governors of Wisconsin Territory (1836–48) Dodge Doty Tallmadge Dodge Catlin (acting) State (since 1848) Dewey Farwell Barstow MacArthur Bashford Randall Harvey Salomon Lewis Fairchild Washburn Taylor Ludington Smith Rusk Hoard Peck Upham Scofield R. La Follette Davidson McGovern Philipp Blaine Zimmerman Kohler Sr. P. La Follette Schmedeman P. La Follette Heil (Loomis) * Goodland Rennebohm Kohler Jr. Thomson Nelson Reynolds Knowles Lucey Schreiber Dreyfus Earl Thompson McCallum Doyle Walker (*) elected but died before taking office

Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin Holmes Beall Burns Lewis MacArthur Campbell Noble Salomon Spooner Pound Pettit Parker Bingham Fifield Ryland Jonas Baensch Stone Davidson Connor Strange Morris Dithmar Comings Huber O'Malley Gunderson Ekern Goodland Rennebohm Smith Knowles Nash Knowles J. Olson Lucey J. Olson Schreiber R. Olson Flynn McCallum Farrow Lawton Kleefisch