Edward Parke Custis Lewis
Encyclopedia
Edward Parke Custis Lewis (February 7, 1837 – September 3, 1892) was a Confederate Army colonel, lawyer, legislator, and diplomat who served as United States Minister to Portugal
from 1885 to 1889.
, in 1837. He was the son of Lorenzo Lewis (1803–1847) and Esther Maria Coxe Lewis (1804–1885). His paternal grandparents were Lawrence Lewis
, a nephew of George Washington
, and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis
, a granddaughter of Martha Washington
. His maternal grandparents were Dr. John Redman Coxe, a Philadelphia physician who was a pioneer in vaccination, and Sarah Cox, whose sister Rachel Cox married the inventor John Stevens
.
Lewis was educated at the University of Virginia
and studied law, but pursued life as a planter at his Virginia estate. During the Civil War
, he joined the Confederate States Army
, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel
. He served as aide-de-camp
under General John R. Chambliss
and as brigade inspector under General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
(his second cousin, since Lee's maternal grandfather George Washington Parke Custis
was his great-uncle). He was captured and made prisoner of war twice, confined for a total of fifteen months at Fort Delaware
and Camp Chase
. After the war, he returned to his Virginia plantation.
Lewis was first married on March 23, 1858 to Lucy Balmain Ware (1839 – September 1866) of Berryville, Virginia
, and they had five children, though only one, Lucy Ware Lewis (born 1866), survived past infancy. After the death of his first wife, he moved to Hoboken, New Jersey
and opened a law office, which he maintained until his death.
On June 1, 1869 in Baltimore
, Maryland
, he married his second wife, Mary Picton (Stevens) Garnett (May 19, 1840 – September 21, 1903), the widow of Virginia politician Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett
and daughter of Edwin Augustus Stevens. (She was his second cousin, since her paternal grandmother, Rachel Cox, was the sister of his maternal grandmother, Sarah Cox. Also, her brother Edwin Augustus Stevens, Jr. later married Lewis's niece, Emily Contee Lewis, in 1879.) They had four children, including Edwin Augustus Stevens Lewis (born 1870), who carried on his father's legal practice in Hoboken, and Esther Maria Lewis Chapin
(born 1871), a prominent socialite.
Lewis was elected as a Democratic
member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from Hudson County
in 1878. He was also a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention
and a member of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
in 1884, when he was active in the presidential campaign
of Grover Cleveland
. After the election of Cleveland, Lewis was appointed Minister Resident/Consul General to Portugal
on April 2, 1885. He served until June 14, 1889, when he returned to Hoboken to resume his legal practice.
In 1892, Lewis died of heart disease at his Hoboken residence at the age of 55. He was buried at Princeton Cemetery
in Princeton, New Jersey
.
United States Ambassador to Portugal
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal.Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February...
from 1885 to 1889.
Biography
Lewis was born at Audley, his family's plantation in Clarke County, VirginiaClarke County, Virginia
Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 14,034. Its county seat is Berryville.-History:Clarke County was established in 1836 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who built a home, Greenway Court, on part of his 5 million acre property,...
, in 1837. He was the son of Lorenzo Lewis (1803–1847) and Esther Maria Coxe Lewis (1804–1885). His paternal grandparents were Lawrence Lewis
Lawrence Lewis (1767–1839)
Lawrence Lewis was a nephew of George Washington who married Nelly Custis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington....
, a nephew of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis
Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis
Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis , known as Nelly, was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Childhood:Nelly was the daughter of John Parke Custis and Eleanor Calvert Custis...
, a granddaughter of Martha Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
. His maternal grandparents were Dr. John Redman Coxe, a Philadelphia physician who was a pioneer in vaccination, and Sarah Cox, whose sister Rachel Cox married the inventor John Stevens
John Stevens (inventor)
Col. John Stevens, III was an American lawyer, engineer and an inventor.-Life and career:Born the son of John Stevens , a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of New York lawyer and statesman James Alexander. His...
.
Lewis was educated at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and studied law, but pursued life as a planter at his Virginia estate. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he joined the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He served as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
under General John R. Chambliss
John R. Chambliss
John Randolph Chambliss, Jr. was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army and then, during the American Civil War, in the Confederate States Army. A brigadier general of cavalry, Chambliss was killed in action during the Second Battle of Deep Bottom.-Early life:Chambliss was...
and as brigade inspector under General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
(his second cousin, since Lee's maternal grandfather George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis , the step-grandson of United States President George Washington, was a nineteenth-century American writer, orator, and agricultural reformer.-Family:...
was his great-uncle). He was captured and made prisoner of war twice, confined for a total of fifteen months at Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility, designed by Chief Engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten, and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war, political prisoners, federal convicts, and...
and Camp Chase
Camp Chase
Camp Chase was a military staging, training and prison camp in Columbus, Ohio, during the American Civil War. All that remains of the camp today is a Confederate cemetery containing 2,260 graves. The cemetery is located in what is now the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.- History :Camp Chase...
. After the war, he returned to his Virginia plantation.
Lewis was first married on March 23, 1858 to Lucy Balmain Ware (1839 – September 1866) of Berryville, Virginia
Berryville, Virginia
Berryville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, and they had five children, though only one, Lucy Ware Lewis (born 1866), survived past infancy. After the death of his first wife, he moved to Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
and opened a law office, which he maintained until his death.
On June 1, 1869 in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, he married his second wife, Mary Picton (Stevens) Garnett (May 19, 1840 – September 21, 1903), the widow of Virginia politician Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett
Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett
Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett , was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia.Garnett was the son of James Mercer Garnett and Maria Garnett. He was the grandson of James M. Garnett and nephew of Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter. He was born on his family’s "Elmwood" estate...
and daughter of Edwin Augustus Stevens. (She was his second cousin, since her paternal grandmother, Rachel Cox, was the sister of his maternal grandmother, Sarah Cox. Also, her brother Edwin Augustus Stevens, Jr. later married Lewis's niece, Emily Contee Lewis, in 1879.) They had four children, including Edwin Augustus Stevens Lewis (born 1870), who carried on his father's legal practice in Hoboken, and Esther Maria Lewis Chapin
Esther Maria Lewis Chapin
Esther Maria "Lili" Lewis Chapin was an American socialite. She was a direct descendant of Betty Washington Lewis, the sister of George Washington. An evening gown she wore in 1888 set a world auction record when sold in 2001.-Biography:Esther Maria Lewis was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1871...
(born 1871), a prominent socialite.
Lewis was elected as a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
from Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
in 1878. He was also a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention
1880 Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention of 1880 met June 22 to 24 of that year, at the Cincinnati Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. George Hoadly served as temporary chairman and John W. Stevenson served as permanent president. Delegates nominated Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania for President of the...
and a member of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
New Jersey Democratic State Committee
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is the New Jersey state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party.New Jersey Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski is the Chairman and Camden Mayor Dana Redd is the Vice-Chairwoman. They were elected on January 27, 2010.-Party structure:The NJDSC is the...
in 1884, when he was active in the presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 1884
The United States presidential election of 1884 saw the first election of a Democrat as President of the United States since the election of 1856. New York Governor Grover Cleveland narrowly defeated Republican former United States Senator James G. Blaine of Maine to break the longest losing streak...
of Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
. After the election of Cleveland, Lewis was appointed Minister Resident/Consul General to Portugal
United States Ambassador to Portugal
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal.Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February...
on April 2, 1885. He served until June 14, 1889, when he returned to Hoboken to resume his legal practice.
In 1892, Lewis died of heart disease at his Hoboken residence at the age of 55. He was buried at Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery is located in Borough of Princeton, New Jersey. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as: "The Westminster Abbey of the United States."...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
.
External links
- Edward Parke Custis Lewis at The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...
- Col Edward Parke Custis Lewis at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...