Francis Lewis
Encyclopedia
Francis Lewis was a signer of the United States
Declaration of Independence
as a representative of New York
.
Born in Llandaff
, Cardiff
, Wales
, he was the only child of Reverend Francis Lewis, but was orphaned at an early age. He went to live with his aunt and uncle soon after. He was educated in Scotland
and attended Westminster School
in England
. He entered a mercantile house in London
, then moved to Whitestone
, New York
in 1734. He was taken prisoner and shipped in a box to France
while serving as a British mercantile agent in 1756. On his return to America, he became active in politics.
He was a member of the Committee of Sixty
, a member of the New York Provincial Congress
, and was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress
in 1775. In 1778, he signed the United States Articles of Confederation
. From 1779 to 1780, Lewis served as the Chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty.
His home, located in Whitestone, on Queens, New York, was destroyed in the American Revolutionary War
by British soldiers, who also arrested his wife and denied her a change of clothing or adequate food for weeks while in captivity.
His son Morgan Lewis
served in the army during the Revolutionary War and later held many offices in New York State, including Governor.
Francis Lewis's great-grandson, Manning Livingston, died at the Battle of Gettysburg
during the Civil War
. He also has many relatives stretching all the way to Idaho. His great-great-great grandson was Hollywood director William A. Wellman
, and his great-granddaughter was author and actress Anna Cora Mowatt
.Hiiii (:
In Queens, New York, Francis Lewis High School
and P.S. 79 "The Francis Lewis School" are named for Lewis. There is also Francis Lewis Boulevard
, which locals tend to refer to as "Franny Lew," stretching almost the entire north/south length of the borough, as well as Francis Lewis Park, which is located underneath the Queens approach of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge
. A Masonic Lodge, Francis Lewis #273, is also located in Whitestone, NY.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
as a representative of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Born in Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, he was the only child of Reverend Francis Lewis, but was orphaned at an early age. He went to live with his aunt and uncle soon after. He was educated in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He entered a mercantile house in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, then moved to Whitestone
Whitestone, Queens
Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York borough of Queens. Located between the East River to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point, Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Linden Hill, and Murray Hill...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1734. He was taken prisoner and shipped in a box to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
while serving as a British mercantile agent in 1756. On his return to America, he became active in politics.
He was a member of the Committee of Sixty
Committee of Sixty
The Committee of Sixty was an extra-legal group formed in New York City, in 1775, by rebels to enforce the Continental Association, a boycott of British goods enacted by the First Continental Congress...
, a member of the New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
, and was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1775. In 1778, he signed the United States Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
. From 1779 to 1780, Lewis served as the Chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty.
His home, located in Whitestone, on Queens, New York, was destroyed in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
by British soldiers, who also arrested his wife and denied her a change of clothing or adequate food for weeks while in captivity.
His son Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis (governor)
Morgan Lewis was an American lawyer, politician and military commander.Of Welsh descent, he was the son of Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from Princeton in 1773 and began to study law on the advice of his father...
served in the army during the Revolutionary War and later held many offices in New York State, including Governor.
Legacy
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
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 also has many relatives stretching all the way to Idaho. His great-great-great grandson was Hollywood director William A. Wellman
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman was an American film director. Although Wellman began his film career as an actor, he worked on over 80 films, as director, producer and consultant but most often as a director, notable for his work in crime, adventure and action genre films, often focusing on aviation...
, and his great-granddaughter was author and actress Anna Cora Mowatt
Anna Cora Mowatt
Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie was an author, playwright, public reader, and actress.- Childhood :Anna Cora Ogden was born in Bordeaux, France, March 5, 1819. She was the tenth of fourteen children. Her father was Samuel Gouveneur Ogden , an American merchant...
.Hiiii (:
In Queens, New York, Francis Lewis High School
Francis Lewis High School
Francis Lewis High School is a public high school located in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Francis Lewis High School offers a number of special programs upon admission: Jacob K...
and P.S. 79 "The Francis Lewis School" are named for Lewis. There is also Francis Lewis Boulevard
Francis Lewis Boulevard
Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.-Route description:...
, which locals tend to refer to as "Franny Lew," stretching almost the entire north/south length of the borough, as well as Francis Lewis Park, which is located underneath the Queens approach of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge
Bronx Whitestone Bridge
The Bronx–Whitestone Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens on Long Island and The Bronx via Interstate 678...
. A Masonic Lodge, Francis Lewis #273, is also located in Whitestone, NY.
External links
- http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=francis+lewis+blvd+at+hook+creek+blvd,+queens,+ny&daddr=Francis+Lewis+Blvd+to:Francis+Lewis+Blvd+to:230th+Pl%2FFrancis+Lewis+Blvd+to:230th+Pl%2FFrancis+Lewis+Blvd+to:Francis+Lewis+Blvd+to:40.785513,-73.806109&hl=en&geocode=%3BFeNobAIdsPia-w%3BFVh_bAIdgOSa-w%3BFTCYbAId88ea-w%3BFR3PbAIdI-qa-w%3BFSrubAIdTL6a-w%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=6&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5&sll=40.784116,-73.802805&sspn=0.01446,0.027637&ie=UTF8&ll=40.721242,-73.753967&spn=0.231579,0.4422&z=11Google Maps - Francis Lewis Boulevard]
- Google Maps - Francis Lewis Park
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/world/americas/26flu.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss