Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 31, 1802) was an American merchant and a
Founding Father of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the war for independence from Great Britai ...
. He was a signatory of the
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
and
Articles of Confederation as a representative of
New York to the
Continental Congress.
Early life
Lewis was born in
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, on March 21, 1713. He was the only child of Morgan Lewis and Anne Lewis (née Pettingale) of
Newport.
Lewis was educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
in London.
Career
Lewis entered a mercantile house in London until he turned 21 and inherited some properties left by his father. Lewis sold the properties and used the proceeds to acquire merchandise, set sail for New York City, arriving there in 1734 or 1735. He left some of the goods in New York to be sold by Edward Annesley, his business partner, and brought the rest to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.
After two years in Philadelphia, he returned to New York.
Lewis made several trans-Atlantic trips, visiting several northern European ports,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, northern Scotland, and Africa. He was taken prisoner while he served as a British mercantile agent in 1756 and sent to France for imprisonment. On his release and his return home, he became active in politics.
Lewis was a member of the
Committee of Sixty The Committee of Sixty or Committee of Observation was a committee of inspection formed in the City and County of New York (Manhattan, New York City), in 1775, by rebels to enforce the Continental Association, a boycott of British goods enacted by ...
, a member of the
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...
, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779. In 1776 he signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and in 1778 he signed the United States Articles of Confederation. In 1779, he served as the
chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty.
He helped his son Francis Lewis Jr. open a dry goods business named Francis Lewis and Son. His son Morgan served in the
Continental Army during the
Revolutionary War and later held many offices in New York State, including governor.
Personal life
In 1745, Lewis married to Elizabeth Annesley (died 1779), a sister of his business partner. Together, they were the parents of seven children, three of whom survived to adulthood:
* Ann Lewis (1748–1802), who married Captain George Robertson (1742–1791) of the
British Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fra ...
.
* Francis Lewis Jr. (1749–1814), who served as churchwarden of St George's Parish in
Flushing, New York
Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...
, from 1791 to 1794. He married Elizabeth Ludlow (d. 1831), daughter of Gabriel Ludlow, Esq.
*
Morgan Lewis (1754–1844), who married
Gertrude Livingston, the daughter of Judge
Robert Livingston of
Clermont.
He was a governor and attorney general of New York.
In 1775, Lewis acquired and relocated his family to an estate located in
Whitestone, in present-day
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. The home was later destroyed in the American Revolutionary War by British soldiers, who also arrested his wife, Elizabeth, and denied her a change of clothing or adequate food for weeks while in captivity. Her hardships in captivity ruined her health and led to her death in 1778 after being released in a prisoner exchange.
Through his eldest surviving daughter Ann, he was a grandfather to Marianne Robertson (1779–1829), who married
John Bird Sumner
John Bird Sumner (25 February 1780 – 6 September 1862) was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.
Early life
John Bird Sumner was born in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, on 25 February 1780. He was the eldest son of the R ...
, the
Archbishop of Canterbury and brother of
Charles Richard Sumner
Charles Richard Sumner (22 November 179015 August 1874) was a Church of England bishop.
Life
Charles Sumner was a brother of John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury. Their father was Robert Sumner and their mother was Hannah Bird, a first co ...
, bishop of
Winchester. Through his son Morgan, he was a grandfather of
Margret Lewis (1780–1860), who married New York lawyer and politician
Maturin Livingston and became parents to twelve children.
Through his son Francis Jr., he was a grandfather of Gabriel Ludlow Lewis.
Death and legacy
Lewis died on December 31, 1802, although his memorial in
Trinity Church Cemetery
The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gal ...
gives his year of death as 1803.
In
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York,
Francis Lewis High School
Francis Lewis High School (FLHS) is a selective public high school located in Fresh Meadows, in the New York City borough of Queens. It is one of the most-applied-to public high schools in New York City with 9,468 applicants in 2016. Operated by t ...
and P.S. 79 "The Francis Lewis School" are named after Lewis.
Francis Lewis Boulevard
Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. The boulevard zigzags across Queens by inc ...
, which locals sometimes refer to as "Franny Lew" or "Franny Lewie," stretches almost the entire north/south length of the borough. Francis Lewis Park is located under the Queens approach of the
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. A masonic lodge, Francis Lewis #273, is located in Whitestone.
See also
*
Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence
The Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence is a memorial depicting the signatures of the 56 signatories to the United States Declaration of Independence. It is located in the Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in W ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Francis
1713 births
1802 deaths
People from Llandaff
Continental Congressmen from New York (state)
18th-century American politicians
Members of the New York Provincial Congress
Signers of the Articles of Confederation
Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence
People educated at Westminster School, London
People of the Province of New York
Welsh emigrants to the United States
Welsh politicians
Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery
People from Whitestone, Queens
19th-century American Episcopalians