Lewis DEWART, Congress, PA (1780-1852)
DEWART, Lewis, (father of William Lewis Dewart), a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Sunbury, Pa., November 14, 1780; attended the common schools; was a clerk in his fatherâs store for several years and later became a coal operator and banker; postmaster at Sunbury 1806-1816; member of the State house of representatives 1812-1820; elected to the State senate in 1823 and served three years; one of the organizers and builders of the Danville & Pottsville Railroad, and served as one of the first directors; elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second Congress (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1833); again a member of the State house of representatives 1835-1840 and served as speaker in 1840; chief burgess of Sunbury in 1837; member of the school board; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1840; died in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pa., on April 26, 1852; interment in Sunbury Cemetery.
Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
