David P. Lewis, Governor

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David Peter Lewis (1820 - 1884)

Birthdate:
Birthplace: Charlotte County, Virginia, United States
Death: July 03, 1884 (64)
Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, United States
Place of Burial: Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Peter C. Lewis and Mary Smith Buster

Managed by: Private User
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Immediate Family

About David P. Lewis, Governor

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1170

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Peter_Lewis

David Peter Lewis (1820 Charlotte County, Virginia – July 3, 1884) was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, having served from 1872 to 1874. After his term expired, a Republican was not be elected again as governor of Alabama for 119 years. In 1861, Lewis was a delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress. In 1868, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

In 1869, Lewis he joined the Republican Party. As a well-known North Alabama Unionist who nevertheless did support the Confederacy, he was an attractive candidate for governor and won decisively over the Democrat Thomas H. Herndon. The 1872 election was highly controversial and conflicting election returns resulted in the seating of two different legislatures controlled by each party. During Lewis' term unsuccessful attempts were made to pass civil rights legislation which would have barred discrimination on common carriers and in hotels, schools, and theaters. The impact of the Panic of 1873 as well as the civil rights controversies led to Lewis' defeat in 1874. He later unsuccessfully sought an appointment to the federal bench. Disillusioned by politics, he returned to the practice of law in Huntsville, where he is interred at Maple Hill Cemetery.

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David P. Lewis, Governor's Timeline

1820
January 1, 1820
Charlotte County, Virginia, United States
1884
July 3, 1884
Age 64
Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, United States
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Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, United States