Lewis Green Stevenson (August 15, 1868 – April 5, 1929) was an American politician. He was the

Illinois Secretary of State The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of ...

from 1914 to 1917 and a member of Illinois's political

Stevenson family The Stevenson family is an American family from Illinois that has included notable politicians in the Democratic Party, many of whom have been named Adlai E. Stevenson. Notable members * Adlai Ewing Stevenson I (October 23, 18 ...

Early life

Born in

Chenoa, Illinois Chenoa is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the intersections of Interstate 55, Historic Route 66, and U.S. Route 24. Founded in 1854 by Mathew T. Scott, Chen ...

, Stevenson was educated in the Bloomington public schools, at

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

, and at Illinois State Normal University (now

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

). He died of a heart ailment, at his home, in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

.'Lewis Stevenson, Former Secretary, Dies In Bloomington,' The Decatur Evening Herald (Illinois), April 2, 1929, pg. 1 Stevenson's father, Adlai Ewing Stevenson I, was the 23rd

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

from 1893 to 1897. Stevenson's son, Adlai Ewing Stevenson II, was the

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

, the Democratic nominee for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

in 1952 and 1956 and later the

United States Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the United States Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the Permanent representative to the U ...

. His grandson, Adlai Ewing Stevenson III, was a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

McLean Stevenson Edgar McLean Stevenson Jr. (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake in the television series '' M*A*S*H'', which earned him a Golden Globe Awa ...

was his first cousin twice removed.

Political career

Lewis followed in his father's footsteps as a Democratic Party leader. He served as his father's private secretary while his father was Vice President of the United States. Later, Lewis served as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Pardons, president of the Illinois Centennial Commission, and as Secretary of State under Governor Edward Dunne. He took an active part in the national conventions of the Democratic Party and was frequently consulted on party policy. Around 1893, Stevenson was offered the position of assistant paymaster of the Navy, but declined the offer. In 1917, he served as investigator for the Department of the Navy under its paymaster general, Samuel McGowan, a boyhood friend.

Personal life

Lewis Stevenson married Helen Louise Davis, daughter of ''

Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name ...

'' publisher W. O. Davis and granddaughter of

Jesse Fell Jesse Fell was an early political leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was one of the first Pennsylvanians to successfully burn anthracite on an open air grate. Anthracite differs from wood in that it needs a draft from the bottom, and Judge ...

. They had two children, Elizabeth "Buffy" and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II. He owned three estates in Illinois, including a coal mine and of farmland.

Notes

External links

Stevensons put stamp on history
1868 births 1929 deaths American people of Scotch-Irish descent Illinois Democrats Secretaries of state of Illinois Stevenson family Children of vice presidents of the United States People from Chenoa, Illinois Illinois State University alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Politicians from Bloomington, Illinois {{Illinois-politician-stub