Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/745

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LEWIS
LEWIS
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biblical and classical studies for nearly ten years, and at length abandoned the practice of law, and in 1833 opened a classical school at Waterford, N. Y., whence, in 1835, he removed to a school in Og- densburg, N. Y. He became professor of Greek in the Univer- sity of New York in 1838, and from 1849 until his death was professor of Greek, instructor in the ori- ental tongue, and lec- turer on biblical and oriental literature at Union college. In 1851-'6 he contribut- ed manv articles to the "Editors Table" of "Harper's Maga-

zine." Union gave

him the degree of LL. D. in 1844. Prof. Lewis had a wide acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics, Arabic and Syriac, and the works of the Hebrew rabbis, and was especially inter- ested in the system of Plato. His works, besides numerous discussions on social and political top- ics, are " Defence of Capital Punishment," with George B. Cheever (New York, 1845); the Greek text of the tenth book of Plato's dialogue, " The Laws," under the title of " Platonic Theology, or Plato against the Atheists," with critical and ex- planatory notes and illustrative dissertations that show profound learning (1845) ; " The Six Days of Creation," his best-known work, maintaining, on philological grounds, the harmony of Scripture and geology (1855) ; " The Bible and Science," re- plying to criticisms on the preceding work (1856) ; " The Divine Human in the Scriptures " (I860) ;

  • ' States Rights, a Photograph of the Ruins of

Ancient Greece " (1864) ; " Heroic Periods in a Nation's History" (1866): "Special Introduction to Genesis," with' commentary on chapters i. to xi., and xxxvii. to 1., inclusive, in " Lange's Commen- tary" (1868); " Rhythmetical Version of Eccle- siastes" (1870); with Edward W. Blyden and Timothy D wight, "The People of Africa, their Character, Condition, and Future Prospects"(1871);

    • The Light by which we see Light," the Vedder

lectures (1875) ; " Memories of President Nott " (1876) ; and numerous addresses and reviews.


LEWIS, William, soldier, b. in Virginia in 1765; d. in Little Rock, Ark., 17 Jan., 1825. He served in the Indian war in 1791, and was a cap- tain under Gen. Arthur St. Clair, resigning in 1797. He was lieutenant-colonel of Kentucky vol- unteers in the war of 1812, commanded in the ac- tion with the British and Indians at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, 8 Jan., 1813, and served under Gen. James Winchester at his defeat there on the 23d of the same month, where he was captured and remained a prisoner two years in Quebec. LEWIS, William Berkeley, politician, b. in Loudon county, Va., in 1784; d. near Nashville, Tenn., 14 Nov., 1866. He removed to Tennessee early in life and settled near Nashville. He was quartermaster under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the war of 1812, served through the Creek campaign, and formed a friendship with Jackson (q. v.) that had much to do with bringing the latter forward as a candidate for the presidency in 1821. On his election, Lewis accompanied Jackson to Washing- ton, prepared in part his inaugural address, and became one of his family, holding the office of auditor of the treasury. Lewis was conversant with all the purposes of the administration, assisted in establishing the " Globe " in 1830. and prepared accounts of the feud between Jackson and Calhoun, for which, with Amos Kendall, he was partially re- sponsible, and of the removal of the bank deposits. After leaving Washington in 1845 he lived in re- tirement on his estate near Nashville until shortly after the civil war, when he served one term in the legislature. He was a Union man, and after the occupation of Nashville by the National troops ex- ercised a pacific influence there. See " Life of An- drew Jackson," bv James Parton (New York, 1861).


LEWIS, William David, translator, b. in Christiana, Del., 22 Dec, 1792; d. near Florence, N. J., 1 April, 1881. He was private secretary to Henry Clay in 1814-'15, accompanying him when he was U. S. peace commissioner to Great Britain in the latter year. Subsequently he resided ten years in Russia, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and devoted much study to the language. On his return to Philadelphia, from 1849 till 1853 he was collector of the port ; in 1854 was president of the Catawissa railroad, and treasurer of the Williamsport and Elmira railroad. For many years he was cashier of the Girard bank of Phila- delphia. He was a trustee of various benevolent institutions, and at one time was president of the Pennsylvania academy of fine arts. He translated and published the " Bokesarian Fountain," by Alexander Pushkin, and other poems by various Russian authors (Philadelphia, 1841), which was favorably commented on by the Russian press, and was an introduction to the subsequent demand for Russian literature in America. — His son, William David, soldier, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1828; d. there, 19 Jan., 1872, was active in the Philadelphia militia previous to the civil war, and at the first call for volunteers served three months as colonel of the 18th Pennsylvania regiment, subsequently becoming colonel of the 110th Pennsylvania volun- teers. He participated in the battle "of Winchester and others of that campaign, and in March, 1865, was brevetted brigadier-general of volunteers.


LEWIS, Winslow, sailor, b. in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass., 11 May, 1770; d. in Roxbury. Mass., 20 May, 1850. His ancestors, who were of Welsh origin, were among the first settlers of New England. Winslow went to sea in early youth, subsequently settled in Boston, and became a lighthouse contractor. He built 200 government lighthouses, and was the first to introduce modern methods of illumination and to lay the foundation for improvement in the structures as well as in lantern lamps and reflectors, and invented the binnacle illuminator. During the war of 1812 he was commander of the Boston sea fencibles, a body of sea-captains and mates who armed and disciplined themselves to resist invasion. For several years he was port-warden of Boston and president of the Marine society. — His son, Winslow, surgeon,, b. in Boston, 8 July, 1799; d. in Grantville, Mass., 3 Aug., 1875, was graduated at Harvard in 1819 and in the medical department there in 1822. He continued his studies in Paris and London, and on his return to the United States practised with success in Boston. He was for many years consulting physician of the Massachusetts general hospital, served several terms in the legislature, was city physician in 1861, and president of the New England historic-genealogical society from this year till 1866. He translated from the French " Gall on the Structure and Functions of the Brain" (Boston, 1835); edited Paxon's "Anatomy" (1837): and the "Journal of the Boston Gynaecological Society," one volume of which was published (1869).