Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/447

 LEWIS

LEWIS

county, N.Y., where he devoted much of his time to agriculture. Having given up tlie practice of law, Lewis established a cloth factory and for several years devoted himself to manufacturing. The failure of a mercantile house to which his goods were assigned caused him to discontinue the business. In 1810 he was elected to the state senate, and he declined the position of secretary of war in Pi-esident Madison's cabinet in 1812, but accepted the appointment of quartermaster- general of the armies of the United States. He was promoted major-general in March, 1813, and in April repaired to the Niagara frontier. He commanded at the capture of Fort George, and also at Sacket Harbor and French Creek. In the summer of 181-4 he was in command at New York. He procured the release of the American prisoners in Canada, advancing from his private fortune the money for its accomplishment, and also rewarding his own tenants who had served in or sent sons to the war. by allowing them free rent for the time they served in the army. He was a Free- mason and was elected grand master in 1831. He was president of the New York Historical society, vice-president-general of the Society of the Cin- cinnati, 1829-39, and president-general, 1839-44; president of the council of the University of the City of New York, 1831-34, and a trustee of Co- lumbia college, 1784-1804. He died in New York city. April 7. 1844.

LEWIS, Tayler, educator, was born in North- umberland, N.Y., March 27, 1803 ; son of Samuel and Sarah (Van Valkenburg) Lewis. His father was an officer in the Revolutionary army and his mother was a niece of John Taj'ler, lieutenant- governor of New York, and a descendant of Johannas Van Valkenberg, a native of Holland and an early settler of Albany. Tayler Lewis was graduated from Union college in 1820, studied law in Albany, N.Y., and practised at Fort Miller, N. Y., 1823-33. He devoted his leisure to the study of Biblical literature and to the Greek and Latin languages. He conducted a classical school at Waterford, N.Y., 1838-35, and one at Ogdensburg, N.Y., 183.5-38. In 1838 he delivered the Phi Beta Kappa address at Union, taking as his subject " Faith, the Life of Science." This address, which was published, attracted wide attention. He was professor of Greek and Latin languages at the University of the City of New York, 1838-40, and of Greek language and literature, 1840-44. He was professor of ancient Oriental languages and literature at Union col- lege, 1849-63, and of ancient languages. 186.3-77. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Union college in 1844. In the selection of names for a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Amer- icans, New York universitj^ made in October, 1900, his was one of the fifteen names submitted

in " Class C, Educators " and received two votes. His published writings include : Believing S2)irit (1841); State, Family and Church (1843); Plato contra Atheos (1844); Penalty of Death, in George B. Clieever"s " Defence of Capital Punishment" (1846); Six Days of Creation (1855); The Bible and Science, or the World Problem (1856); 77te Divine Human in the Scripture (1860); The Heroic Periods in a Nation's History (1866); The Light by which xoe see Light, Vedder Lectures (1875); Memoirs of Eliphalet Nott, with Van Santvoord and Lewis (1875); Bible Psidmody, the Impreca- tory Psalms (1880); Wine Drinking and the Scrip- tures (\SS\); and contributions to Lunge's Commen- tary, and to Harjier's Magazine and other periodi- cals. He died in Schenectady, N.Y.. May 11, 1877.

LEWIS, Thomas, patriot, was born in Done- gal, Irehmd, April 27, 1718; son of John, "the pioneer," and Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, and grand- son of Andrew and Mary (Calhoun) Lewis. He came to Augusta county, Va., with his parents in 1732 and was one of the best mathematicians of his day in Virginia. During the colonial and the Revolutionary periods he rendered im- portant services to his countiy, but owing to defective vision he took no active part in the Indian and Revolutionary wars. He was married Jan. 29, 1746, to Jane, daughter of William Strother of Stafford county, Va. In 1746 he was appointed colonial surveyor of Augusta county, and he was associated with George Washington in the surveys of Virginia lands, which enabled both to acquire desirable tracts. He represented Augusta county in the house of burgesses almost uninterrupted!}-, 1745-67, and voted in 1765 for Patrick Henrj-'s resolutions, declaring that "this general assembly has the only exclusive right and power to lay taxes and impositions on the inhabitants of this county." He was a delegate to the colonial congress in 1775 ; a member of the convention of 1776 ; a commissioner to treat with the Indian tribes in 1778, and a member of the Virginia convention of June 26, 1788, that ratified the Federal constitution. He died in Augusta county, Va., Jan. 31, 1790.

LEWIS, Thomas Hamilton, educator, was born Dec. 11, 1852. He was graduated from Western Maryland college in 1875, and entered the itinerancy of the Methodist Protestant church as a member of the Maryland Annual conference. In 1882 he was appointed principal to " enter at once upon his duties in such preparatory work as shall enable him to organize and commence the course of instruction in the School of Theology " afterward the Westminster Theological semi- nary of the Methodist Protestant church, and he continued in the work as president and professor of Hel)rew language and literature till 1886. He married the daughter of the Rev. Dr. James