Abraham Lincoln Lewis
Encyclopedia
Abraham Lincoln Lewis was an American
businessman. He founded the Afro-American Life Insurance Company
in Jacksonville, Florida
, and became the state's first African American
millionaire
. He also founded the National Register
-listed community of American Beach, founded as a prestigious vacation spot for blacks during the period of racial segregation
.
, but Lewis and the others relocated the business to Lewis' home and renamed it the Afro-American Life Insurance Company
. During this time Lewis served as treasurer, and he became the president of Afro-American Life in 1919. Eventually the company acquired Chathorn Mutual Life Insurance Company and expanded into Georgia.
Lewis helped to found both the Negro Business League and the National Negro Insurance Association
. He was a heavy contributor to black colleges such as Jacksonville's Edward Waters College
as well as Bethune-Cookman College
.
Due to the Jim Crow laws
of the day, blacks were not allowed to enjoy many basic recreational amenities. A.L. Lewis realized the need for African Americans to have recreational activities for their families, so he founded the Lincoln Golf and Country Club, which featured a clubhouse and facilities. In 1935, Lewis purchased 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of Nassau County
beachfront land along the Atlantic Ocean
. Blacks were not permitted on most beaches in Jacksonville, and it was Lewis' dream to create a community where African Americans could visit and own reasonably-priced homes along the ocean. This community, which he named American Beach, was a thriving vacation spot throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Summers at American Beach were known for being jammed with families, churches and children. The beach included hotels, restaurants and nightclubs as well as homes and other businesses.
A.L. Lewis died in 1947 and was interred in the family crypt in a historic black Jacksonville cemetery. The grave is along the road with a plaque marker placed by the city inscribed with his biography. There is a street as well as a youth center named in his honor. Lewis married Mary Kingsley Sammis, the great granddaughter of Zephaniah Kingsley
, a slaveowner and trader, and his wife and former slave Anna Magjigine Jai
, whose homestead on Fort George Island is preserved as Kingsley Plantation
. All three of his great-grandchildren are achievers, MaVynee Betsch
was known for educating the public on their family history and her efforts to preserve American Beach. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole became the first woman to serve as president of two major universities Spelman College
and Bennett College
. Johnny Betsch is a performer in Paris.
His Great-Great Granddaughter Renee Lewis Glover is Executive Director of the Atlanta Housing Authority
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman. He founded the Afro-American Life Insurance Company
Afro-American Life Insurance Company
The Afro-American Life Insurance Company was a historic business based in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1901 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis and his business associates.-Background:...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and became the state's first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
. He also founded the National Register
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
-listed community of American Beach, founded as a prestigious vacation spot for blacks during the period of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
.
Business legacy
Along with seven other business associates, Lewis founded the Afro-American Insurance Association in 1901. The company headquarters burned down in the Great Fire of 1901Great Fire of 1901
The Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, Florida was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire in the Southeast. It was similar in scale and destruction to the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.-Origin:...
, but Lewis and the others relocated the business to Lewis' home and renamed it the Afro-American Life Insurance Company
Afro-American Life Insurance Company
The Afro-American Life Insurance Company was a historic business based in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1901 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis and his business associates.-Background:...
. During this time Lewis served as treasurer, and he became the president of Afro-American Life in 1919. Eventually the company acquired Chathorn Mutual Life Insurance Company and expanded into Georgia.
Lewis helped to found both the Negro Business League and the National Negro Insurance Association
National Insurance Association
The National Insurance Association is the largest organization representing African American owned and operated insurance companies.-History:...
. He was a heavy contributor to black colleges such as Jacksonville's Edward Waters College
Edward Waters College
-External links:* -- Official web site** at * Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs** **...
as well as Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman University or B-CU is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida.- History :Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School in 1904...
.
Due to the Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
of the day, blacks were not allowed to enjoy many basic recreational amenities. A.L. Lewis realized the need for African Americans to have recreational activities for their families, so he founded the Lincoln Golf and Country Club, which featured a clubhouse and facilities. In 1935, Lewis purchased 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of Nassau County
Nassau County, Florida
Nassau County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 57,663. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 69,835. Its county seat is Fernandina Beach, Florida....
beachfront land along the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Blacks were not permitted on most beaches in Jacksonville, and it was Lewis' dream to create a community where African Americans could visit and own reasonably-priced homes along the ocean. This community, which he named American Beach, was a thriving vacation spot throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Summers at American Beach were known for being jammed with families, churches and children. The beach included hotels, restaurants and nightclubs as well as homes and other businesses.
A.L. Lewis died in 1947 and was interred in the family crypt in a historic black Jacksonville cemetery. The grave is along the road with a plaque marker placed by the city inscribed with his biography. There is a street as well as a youth center named in his honor. Lewis married Mary Kingsley Sammis, the great granddaughter of Zephaniah Kingsley
Zephaniah Kingsley
Zephaniah Kingsley, Jr. was a plantation owner, slave trader, and merchant who built several plantations in the Spanish colony of Florida in what is now Jacksonville...
, a slaveowner and trader, and his wife and former slave Anna Magjigine Jai
Anna Kingsley
Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley was a West African slave turned slaveholder and plantation owner in early 19th century Florida. At 13 years old, she was captured and sent to Cuba where she was purchased by and married to Zephaniah Kingsley, a slave trader and plantation owner. They had four children...
, whose homestead on Fort George Island is preserved as Kingsley Plantation
Kingsley Plantation
Kingsley Plantation is the site of a former estate in Jacksonville, Florida, that was named for an early owner, Zephaniah Kingsley, who spent 25 years there. It is located at the northern tip of Fort George Island at Fort George Inlet, and is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve...
. All three of his great-grandchildren are achievers, MaVynee Betsch
MaVynee Betsch
MaVynee Betsch was an American environmentalist and an activist. She was better known as The Beach Lady, because she spent the better part of her adult life educating the public on the black history and environmental importance of American Beach...
was known for educating the public on their family history and her efforts to preserve American Beach. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole became the first woman to serve as president of two major universities Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
and Bennett College
Bennett College
Bennett College is a four-year liberal arts women's college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded in 1873, this historically black institution began as a normal school to provide education to newly emancipated slaves. It became a women's college in 1926 and currently serves roughly 780...
. Johnny Betsch is a performer in Paris.
External links
His Great-Great Granddaughter Renee Lewis Glover is Executive Director of the Atlanta Housing Authority