Francis LEWIS, Congress, NY (1713-1803)

LEWIS, Francis, a Delegate from New York; born in Llandaff, Wales, March 21, 1713; attended Westminster School, London; entered the countinghouse of a London merchant; immigrated to the United States in 1735 and established mercantile houses in New York and Philadelphia; secured a contract to clothe the British Army in America in 1753; participated in the French and Indian War as an aide to General Mercer; was captured in Oswego, N.Y., and taken as a prisoner to France; on his return the colonial government gave him 5,000 acres of land in recognition of his services; delegate in the Stamp Act Congress that met in New York City in 1765; retired from business in 1765 and located in Whitestone, Long Island, N.Y.; Member of the Continental Congress 1775-1779; was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; delegate to the provincial convention in 1775; member of the Committee of One Hundred in 1775; served in the Provincial Congress in 1776 and 1777; commissioner of the board of admiralty in 1779; died in New York City on December 30, 1803; interment in Trinity Churchyard.

Bibliography

Burlingham, Charles Culp. Francis Lewis, One of the New York Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Historical Sketch. [N.p., 1926].

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present