Edward Augustus Lewis (February 22, 1820 – September 21, 1889)L. C. Krauthoff, ''The Supreme Court of Missouri'', in Horace Williams Fuller, ed., '' The Green Bag'' (1891), Vol. 3, p. 184. was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Missouri The Supreme Court of Missouri (SCOMO) is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constituti ...

in 1874.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, Lewis was orphaned in 1829, around the age of nine, and sent to Charlotte Hall, Maryland, for schooling. In 1835, at the age of fifteen, he became an apprentice to the printer's trade in the office of Duff Green, and in 1836 he became a private tutor. In 1838, he was a clerk in the Government Land Office; the next year he moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he gained admission to the bar in 1841. He was "a self–made and self–educated man". In 1845, he settled in

Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The com ...

. After serving in a number of county offices, he accepted editorial charge of the ''Intelligencer'', a newspaper in St. Louis in 1851, where he participated in the formation of the International Typographical Union. In 1853, he entered the practice of the law in earnest, and "soon attained an enviable rank in his profession". He moved to

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

, in 1856, where he "purchased 200 acres of land, which he developed into the town of New Florence, which was named after his daughter". He was a Presidential Elector twice, and the unsuccessful candidate of the minority party for the Supreme Court in 1868.

Judicial service

In September 1874, Governor Silas Woodson appointed Lewis to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the death of Justice Washington Adams, serving on that tribunal for a few months. In January 1875, Governor Woodson appointed Lewis a judge of the newly established St. Louis Court of Appeals, winning reelection the following year and presiding for nearly twelve years. In 1888, physical infirmity and increasing deafness compelled his resignation from the bench, but his associates, in recognition of his long service, appointed him

reporter of decisions The Reporter of Decisions (sometimes known by other titles, such as Official Reporter or State Reporter) is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case repor ...

. He held this position until his death in St. Louis the following year, at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Edward Augustus Judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri 1820 births 1889 deaths Lawyers from Washington, D.C.