Lewis T. Dent (also known as Louis Dent, March 3, 1823 – March 22, 1874) was an American explorer, judge, and politician. He was the brother-in-law of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. Dent was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, in 1823, the son of Frederick Dent and Ellen Wrenshall. He was one of four older brothers of Julia Dent Grant, the future First Lady. Dent was considered to be well-educated, having attended the best schools in St. Louis and studying law. In 1846, Dent served as a civilian clerk to paymaster Major James H. Cloud who accompanied the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to Jul ...

to California during the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

. Lewis and his brother John's names were found etched at Signature Rock in Oklahoma. Dent later married a daughter of Judge Baine. Dent served as a judge on the Superior Court of California until he resigned in 1849. He was a delegate at the first Constitutional Convention of California in 1849. After the shooting death of William Knight on November 9, 1849, John and Lewis Dent took over the operation of Knight's Ferry. The post office for Knight's Ferry was opened on July 28, 1851, and Lewis Dent became its first postmaster. Alongside his brother, Dent ran the ferry and hotel and was named justice of the peace. In 1858, he moved to

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, and practiced law. In 1862, Dent joined the military staff of his brother-in-law, General Grant. Between 1863 and 1867, he was engaged in extensive cotton-growing in Mississippi and Louisiana. Dent was captured by the Confederates towards the end of the Civil War and spent about a month in custody. After Grant was elected president in 1868, Dent took up residence at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. Dent ran for Governor of Mississippi in the state's 1869 election, and was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate for the National Union Republican Party ticket. He was supported by conservatives in both parties, and the Democratic party opted not to field a candidate but to support Dent. However, Grant did not support his brother-in-law, as he opposed his white supremacist views. Dent was defeated in his gubernatorial ambitions by the wealthy planter James L. Alcorn. After losing the election, Grant named him minister to Chile. At the end of his life, Dent became a Roman Catholic. He died 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 ...

, in March 1874.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, Lewis 1823 births 1874 deaths 19th-century American politicians Politicians from St. Louis California lawyers People of Missouri in the American Civil War American white supremacists 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges