Isaac Newton Lewis (October 12, 1858 – November 9, 1931) was a United States Army officer and the inventor of the Lewis gun. Lewis was born in

New Salem, Pennsylvania New Salem, is a borough located in York County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a total population of 818. Geography New Salem is located at 39°54'9" North, 76°47'35" West (39.902526, -76.793162). According to the United ...

. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1884 and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Second Artillery.''New International Encyclopedia'' Early in his career he made himself an authority on

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...

. In 1900, then-Captain Lewis was sent by Adjutant General

Henry Clarke Corbin Henry Clark Corbin (September 15, 1842 – September 8, 1909) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1898 to 1904. Life and career He was born in Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio, H ...

to Europe to study that subject, his report resulting in the re-armament of the field artillery. By successive promotions, he rose to the rank of colonel in the Coast Artillery Corps in August 1913, and he was retired the next month for disability incurred in line of duty. In 1911, he refined an original machine gun design of Samuel Maclean and began active marketing of a type which came to be known simply as the "Lewis Gun", which was used in World War I by the Allied armies, the United States Navy, and the airplanes of the United States and Allies. Initially, the United States Army was not interested in his new gun, but after the British and

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had bought more than 100,000 for use in the trenches in France, the US Army did purchase them. Lewis, already a wealthy man, declined the

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

—amounting to at least $1,200,000 ($35,557,320 in 2022 terms)—on guns made for the United States after it entered the war. His other inventions included a time-interval clock and bell system of signals, a replotting and relocating system for coast batteries, an automatic sight, quick-reading mechanical verniers for use in coast defenses, electric car lighting, and windmill electric lighting systems. He was awarded the Franklin Institute's

Elliott Cresson Medal The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848. The ...

in 1919. Lewis died of a myocardial infarction at the Lackawanna Railroad terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, while waiting for a train to his home in Montclair. He is buried at the West Point Cemetery on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.

References

External links

Biographical sketch
with portrait photo {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Isaac Newton 1858 births 1931 deaths American inventors People from Montclair, New Jersey People from New Salem, Pennsylvania United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni Engineers from Pennsylvania Engineers from New Jersey Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from New Jersey